JAMMU, FEBRUARY 17: The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly today passed grants totalling Rs. 4,56,569.56 lakh for Rural Development and PR, Rs. 2,42,386.40 lakh for Agriculture, Rs. 1,16,040.98 lakh for Animal and Sheep Husbandry, Rs. 69,648.23 lakh for Horticulture, Rs. 20,620.56 lakh for Fisheries, Rs. 26,611.42 lakh for Cooperatives and Rs. 36,126.71 lakh for the Election department.
The grants were passed through a voice vote after day long deliberations by the Legislators in the House.
Winding up the discussion on Demands for Grants, Minister for Agriculture Production, Rural Development, Cooperatives and Election, Javid Ahmed Dar, described agriculture and allied sectors as the “lifeline for Jammu and Kashmir’s economy,”. He emphasised that these sectors are central towards sustained rural livelihoods, generating employment, strengthening food security and ensuring inclusive economic development.
Highlighting the economic significance of Agriculture sector, the Minister informed the House that agriculture and allied activities contribute ₹41,273 crore to Jammu and Kashmir’s economy, accounting for 19 percent of the SGDP (Ministry of Statistics 2024–25). Of this, horticulture contributes 41 percent, reaffirming Jammu & Kashmir’s leadership in high value fruit production. Livestock contributes 33 percent, while core agriculture accounts for 25 percent ensuring food security and sustaining traditional cropping systems, he said.
He stated that the government has adopted a dual strategy, strengthening the agricultural infrastructure while simultaneously empowering the farmers through beneficiary driven interventions. “Public investment must translate into measurable prosperity at the grassroots level,” he said.
The Minister said that under UT Capex, flagship schemes such as the High-Density Plantation Scheme, Integrated Dairy Development Scheme, Integrated Sheep Development Scheme and Integrated Poultry Development Programme are being implemented in mission mode.
“These efforts, reinforced by transformative interventions under HADP and JKCIP, are not merely budgetary allocations, they are driving real change on the ground. Together, they are modernizing the production systems, promoting rural enterprises, strengthening value chains and ensuring that public investment translates into tangible benefits for our farmers’, he said.
The Minister also said that J&K has decisively moved away from subsistence-oriented practices towards a diversified, climate-smart, technology-enabled and income-focused agricultural model, adding that the results are both measurable and encouraging.
“As a direct outcome of sustained capital infusion through HADP, JKCIP and other capex initiatives, our net cultivable area has expanded by nearly 80,000 hectare, increasing from 12.71 lakh hectare to 13.50 lakh hectare, a clear reflection of renewed confidence and productive expansion in the sector”, maintained the Minister.
The Minister added that government’s push towards vertical farming and protected cultivation has yielded remarkable results, with establishment of 332 hi-tech greenhouses and 848 polyhouses covering an area of 30 hectare. He said that this infrastructure has boosted cropping intensity to 250 percent while significantly safeguarding the crop yields from climate volatility.
“Our focused and strategic push towards oilseed promotion has yielded significant results. The area under oilseeds has expanded from 1.4 lakh hectare to 2.1 lakh hectare, leading to a near doubling of production”, he said.
The Minister further said that the expansion in area under oilseeds, particularly the large scale cultivation of mustard helped in 77 percent growth of apiculture.
“Honey production has crossed 3,895 MTs, supported by distribution of over one lakh bee colonies and establishment of 11 honey processing units under Honey project of HADP, creating new income opportunities for the farmers and rural youth”, he said.
The Minister said that the Mushroom cultivation has increased by 31 percent over the past three years, with production rising from 2,100 MT to 2,742 MT through establishment of 227 units and distribution of 1.18 lakh compost bags.
The Agriculture Minister further said that the Horticulture sector remains top priority of the government, adding that the strength of our rural economy is closely tied to the strength of our orchards.
“To achieve our ambitious target of expanding High-Density plantations across 5,500 hectare, we are developing robust rootstock banks and mother orchards under Project 21 of HADP, laying a strong foundation for self-reliance and long-term orchard sustainability”, he said.
The Minister also said that the Fruit production has increased from 26.43 lakh MT to 26.92 lakh MT and the government is firmly committed to achieve 29.72 lakh MT production by 2029–30. He added that during 2026–27 alone, an additional 1,455 hectare will be brought under high and medium-density plantations, further accelerating growth.
To strengthen the planting material self-sufficiency, the Agriculture Minister said that a mega fruit nursery at R.S. Pura has been commissioned with an annual capacity of 5 lakh quality saplings, adding that two elite nurseries and Plant Establishment Quarantine facilities are being developed at Marta (Udhampur) and Lehwan (Anantnag) to ensure disease-free, high-quality planting material.
For conservation and genetic preservation, he said that SKUAST Jammu has established a State-of-the-Art Ex-Situ Gene Bank, becoming only the third institution in India to develop such a facility. This is definitely a milestone that will safeguard the rich horticultural biodiversity for future generations.
The Minister said that 15,000 metric tonne of new CA capacity will be added during the current financial year recognising the critical importance of Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage for our fruit economy.
“Jammu and Kashmir currently has 37 mandis, with 24 fully operational and the remaining 13 in various stages of development. Significantly, of the 19 wholesale mandis, 17 have already been integrated with the e-NAM platform while integration of the remaining two is underway. Since inception, over 55,000 stakeholders have registered and a cumulative trade worth ₹1,721 crore has been conducted up to December 2025”, he said.
The Minister further said that under the Integrated Dairy Development Scheme, 937 dairy units were established during 2025–26, generating employment for nearly 2000 individuals and significantly strengthening the dairy ecosystem across the Union Territory.
He said that under Integrated Sheep Development Scheme, 2018 units were set up in 2025-26, enhancing breed improvement, meat production and sustainable livelihood opportunities for shepherd families and rural youth.
“For the first time in the history of Jammu & Kashmir, 900 elite mutton-purpose sheep of the Texel and Dorper breeds have been imported from Australia, marking a major milestone in strengthening our livestock sector”, he said.
The Minister said that under Dairy Development Project of HADP, the government has adopted a mission mode approach to significantly enhance the milk productivity and farmer incomes. Currently, Jammu & Kashmir produces around 30 lakh metric tonnes of milk annually (ISS 2024-25). He added that the government has set an ambitious target to increase this productivity to 43 lakh metric tonne by 2030, moving towards making J&K a net milk exporter.
The Minister also informed the House that for the first time ever, Jammu & Kashmir has imported 40 high genetic merit breeding bull calves from the United States of America. He added that this initiative is truly a game changer, which will enhance the milk productivity, raise farmer incomes, generate employment and make J&K self-reliant on Dairy.
Highlighting that digital empowerment is redefining agricultural governance in J&K, the Minister said that under the visionary leadership of Chief Minister, the government has launched the JKCIP Portal, the Credit Scheme Advisor, the HADP 360 Portal, a unified one-stop platform for all agriculture schemes, and an Online DPR Generator, ushering a new era of transparency, efficiency and ease of access for our farmers and agri-entrepreneurs.
“Through 1,300 operational Kisan Khidmat Ghars, the government is ensuring technology-driven last-mile delivery. More than 8 lakh farmers have been on-boarded onto the Kisan Sathi and KKG platforms”, he said.
The Minister further said that protecting our farmers from risk is one of our top priorities, adding that 2.01 lakh farmers covering 75,732 hectare were enrolled during Kharif 2025 under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.
He highlighted that financial year 2026–27 will mark a defining chapter in transformation of agriculture and allied sectors in Jammu & Kashmir. “With a bold vision and firm resolve the government is ushering in a new era of opportunity, productivity and prosperity for our farmers”, he said.
The Minister also announced the launch of an Aromatic and Medicinal Plants Mission with a total financial outlay of ₹150 crore, for which ₹10 crore have been allocated in the coming financial year. He added that this mission will harness the vast natural potential of Jammu & Kashmir, promote cultivation of high-value aromatic and medicinal crops, and create significant livelihood and income generation opportunities for our farmers and rural youth.
For support of horticulturalists and safeguard them against weather-related uncertainties, the Minister also announced implementation of the Restructured Weather Based Insurance Scheme (RWBIS) in Jammu & Kashmir, adding that the scheme will cover Apple (both traditional and high-density plantations) and Saffron in the Kashmir Division and Mango, Litchi and Saffron in the Jammu Division, with a total sum insured of ₹6,594.93 crore.
He said that the government will provide a 25 percent top-up subsidy to promote micro and sprinkler irrigation systems and for this purpose, the government has earmarked ₹116.86 crore in the current financial year. He added that this initiative is expected to improve water-use efficiency by 60% to 80%.
The Minister also said that we will establish a Centre of Excellence in every district of Jammu & Kashmir for production of high-quality vegetable and floriculture planting material. He added that 1,455 hectare shall be covered under high and medium density plantations and public/private nurseries shall produce 8 lakh planting materials and 17.84 lakh rootstock plants to feed area expansion. Besides, 6 hectare of mother orchards, 15 hectare of rootstock banks and 40 hectare of plant propagation units will be established to further strengthen the supply chain.
The Minister added that this Ministry aims to establish 38000 MT CA capacity in 2026-27, adding that to promote balanced regional development, the government will prioritize top-up subsidy for Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage units in districts other than Pulwama and Shopian, where capacity has already saturated. “To achieve this, 40 new CA stores with an estimated investment of ₹1,400 crore will be established, of which, the hovernment will provide ₹600 crore as subsidy, with top-up support available from 2026–27 onwards”, he said.
In a major push to dairy economy, the Minister also proposed establishment of seven Milk Processing Plants of 1 lakh litre per day capacity, with an investment of approximately ₹770 crore through UT Capex and Government of India support. “ The J&K government will be among the first UTs and States to invest in milk value addition sector in addition to the grants from GoI. This initiative will benefit 9 lakh dairy farmers and act as a robust step to increase milk processing capacity of J&K from the current 4 percent to 25 percent in the coming years”, he said.
To accelerate formalization and modernization of dairy sector in Jammu & Kashmir, the Minister said that a 15 percent top-up subsidy has been proposed under Integrated Dairy Development Scheme over and above the support provided under PMFME scheme for establishing new milk value addition units. This incentive aims to complement PMFME over the next five years. “The UT targets the establishment of 1,000 new milk value addition units by supporting 200 units annually through this top-up subsidy. Once operational, these units are projected to process approximately 3.00 lakh litres of milk per day, significantly boosting organized milk processing and value addition capacity across the region”, he said.
The Minister further said that the department is expanding Sheep sector through assisted breeding technologies and during 2026-27, department is importing 900 Romanov and Fin sheep and 900 high-quality milk producing Swiss Alpine and Boer goats.
He added that the government is actively considering the launch of a new scheme, “PAWAN”, aimed at the collectivisation of wool farmers through a structured three-tier cooperative model. The scheme will focus on aggregation, primary processing and organized marketing of wool, ensuring better price realization and strengthening the wool value chain across the Union Territory, he added.
The Minister further said that the Rural Development department forms the institutional backbone of grassroots governance and inclusive rural transformation in Jammu & Kashmir. “Rural Development and Panchayati Raj are not merely administrative subjects; they are instruments of economic empowerment, social justice, employment generation, infrastructure creation and participatory democracy across our villages”, he stated.
The Minister said that the vision of government is to transform rural Jammu & Kashmir into vibrant and self-reliant communities, achieving balanced development through effective governance, community participation and sustainable resource management.
He said that during previous year the government has strengthened wage security and rural asset creation at an unprecedented scale under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). During 2025–26, Rs387.37 lakh person-days have been generated, directly boosting the rural incomes.
He added that under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramim (PMAY-G), 15,093 houses have been completed during the current financial year, taking the cumulative number of houses completed to 3.23 lakh, achieving 97 percent of the overall target, thereby reinforcing housing security and improving the quality of life for rural households.
Under Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin), the Minister said that 27,775 Individual Household Latrines have been completed and 1,954 Community Sanitary Complexes have been constructed while 553 are under progress and would be completed by March 2026. He added that under Solid Waste Management, 2,662 community compost pits and 118 segregation sheds have been installed, with 106 segregation sheds under progress and shall be completed by March 2026.
The Minister further said that under Grey Water Management, 3,673 community soak pits and 22 Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems (DEWATS) units have been installed so far, while 76 DEWATS are under progress and shall be completed by March 2026. He added that 2 bio gas plants under GOBARdhan have been completed and 12 are under progress and shall be completed by March 2026. Besides, 17 Faecal Sludge Treatment Plants (FSTPs) are under progress and expected to be completed by March 2026.
Under Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan, he said that 214 Panchayat Ghars have been constructed, along with 249 additional rooms for co-location of Common Service Centres. He added that 19 Panchayat Learning Centres have been completed while the remaining 41 are targeted for completion by the end of the current financial year.
The Minister also said that under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (HIMAYAT–DDU-GKY), the department has significantly strengthened rural youth employability through structured skill development and placement-linked training. Under Himayat 1.0 during the year 2025-26, 1,427 candidates have successfully completed their training across various trades, of which, 1,085 youth have been placed in gainful employment.
The Minister informed that 851 works have been completed, leading to treatment of 6,765 hectares of land under the Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP). Besides, the department has achieved remarkable scale and impact across all 285 blocks, mobilizing 7.9 lakh rural women into over 95,000 Self Help Groups (SHGs). He added that SHG women have leveraged Rs. 531.67 crore as capitalization support and accessed Rs. 3,020 crore in bank credit linkage, significantly advancing financial inclusion and economic empowerment.
“The Lakhpati Didi initiative aims to create 2.33 lakh Lakhpati Didis, against which 2.01 lakh Lakhpati Didis have already been formed as on 31.12.2025, reflecting substantial progress towards saturation”, he said.
The Minister said that during the year, 2,547 SHGs covering 28,734 households have been formed and 157 Village level Organisations have been promoted. He added that financial strengthening measures like provision of Revolving Fund to 2,443 SHGs worth Rs. 3.57 crore, Community Investment Fund to 5,183 SHGs amounting Rs. 33.69 crore and credit linkage to 18,043 SHGs with Rs. 595.23 crore has been disbursed.
He further informed that under Lal Ded, 3,169 individual entrepreneurs have been sponsored for credit with an amount of Rs. 32.36 crore, of which, 994 beneficiaries have been sanctioned Rs 10.53 crore while 886 individuals have benefited under Mission Yuva with support of Rs. 4,530 lakh. He said that under SVEP, 2,384 enterprises have been supported through the Community Enterprise Fund with an amount of Rs 674.46 lakh and an equal number have received Entrepreneurship Development Training.
The Minister said that under MKSP, more than 6.8 lakh Mahila Kisans have been trained and supported in sustainable agriculture, agro-ecological practices, integrated farming systems and livestock management.
The Minister further said that the department aims to generate 4.50 crore person-days with an outlay of Rs 2162 crore under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), now VB-GRAMG.
“Under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), we aim to construct 50,000 houses with an outlay of Rs 65,000 lakh, accelerating the vision of ‘Housing for All’. Under Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin (SBM-G), we aim to construct 40,000 IHHLs and 4,000 CSCs, implementation of Solid Waste Management in 1,750 villages (including 6,900 compost pits and 60 segregation sheds) and establishment of Grey Water Management in 1,300 villages (including 1,600 soak pits and 500 Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems (DEWATS)”, he said.
The Minister further said that under Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan, the department proposes to construct 500 Panchayat Ghars along with 500 additional rooms for co-location of Common Service Centres (CSCs). Besides, 78 Programme Management Units (PMUs) will be operationalized at a cost of Rs 567.60 lakh and 1,000 Panchayats will be e-Enabled with an outlay of Rs 236.00 lakh.
Under JKRLM–UMEED, the department aims to develop 600 Cluster Level Federations (CLFs) into Model CLFs (MCLFs) at an estimated cost of Rs 26,070.66 lakh. Besides, the department also intends to establish 1 Lakh additional Lakhpati Didis in 2026-27.
Under Lal Ded, a target of 7,000 beneficiaries for individual entrepreneurship development has been set while target of 40 Food Enterprises with the help of Kudumbashree NRO has been set to promote value addition and rural entrepreneurship.
“The department has also proposed formation of Sericulture, Honey, Dairy and Fisheries Clusters at Jammu and Srinagar besides establishment of SHE-LIFE marts and entrepreneurs”, said the Minister.
The Minister added that under SVEP, support will be extended to 5,000 enterprises at a cost of Rs 3,716.64 lakh in 12 blocks, accelerating village-level enterprise development. Besides, 16 Integrated Farm Livelihood Clusters/Livelihood Support Centres (IFCs/LSCs) would be established under MKSP, covering 4,800 SHG households.
Under the Viksit Village Project, conceived on the lines of a Model Village framework, the department proposes to establish one Viksit Village in each Legislative Constituency in rural areas of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, equipped with modern infrastructure, quality education facilities, healthcare services and sustainable livelihood opportunities to holistically uplift the rural communities. He added that an outlay of Rs 18,000 lakh has been proposed under UT CAPEX 2026-27 for this flagship initiative. He said that the department has proposed an amount of Rs 90.00 crore under Community Development and Rs 38.54 crore under Infrastructure for BDC/ DDCs.
While speaking on Cooperative sector, the Minister said that the Cooperative movement has always played a vital role in promoting inclusive growth, rural development and economic empowerment in Jammu & Kashmir. “Our vision is to strengthen the cooperative ecosystem so that it becomes a dynamic instrument of socio-economic transformation, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas”, he stated.
Recognizing the crucial role of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) as the backbone of rural credit and procurement systems, the Minister said that the government has proposed funds to the tune of Rs.457.74 lakh for development and modernization of infrastructure of PACS.
He added that the government is committed to complete two grain storage facilities at Kulgam and Turkpura (Kashmir) in the current financial year under SASCI.
“To promote value addition in agriculture and create employment opportunities in rural areas, the government has proposed establishment of 40 new Micro Food Processing Units across the Union Territory”, said the Minister.
Legislators Sajjad Shaheen, Peerzada Farooq Ahmed Shah, Surjeet Singh Slathia, Prof. Gharu Ram Bhagat, Ghulam Ahmad Mir, Irshad Rasool Kar, Hasnain Masoodi, Satish Kumar Sharma, Waheed Ur Rehman Para, Choudhary Mohammad Akram, Shabir Ahmad Kullay, Surinder Kumar, Mir Saifullah, Reyaz Ahmad Khan, Daleep Singh Parihar, Dr. Bharat Bhushan, Iftkar Ahmad, Sajad Gani Lone, Sheikh Ahsan Ahmed (Pardesi), Khurshied Ahmad Sheikh, Aaga Muntazir Mehdi, Shakti Raj Parihar, Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, Dr. Devinder Kumar Manyal, Nizam- ud- Din Bhat and Nazir Ahmad Khan (Gurezi) participated in the discussion over Grants.
Later, the MLAs withdrew their cut motions on the grants after the Minister assured the House that the issues raised would be duly addressed.