Pheran Diaries-9
By Dr Sanjay Parva
I received an unexpectedly huge and positive response to my last Sunday column in this newspaper on why we should prioritise agriculture over tourism. I believe a more effective and job oriented embrace is possible provided we first address a few structural issues.
In Jammu & Kashmir, the agriculture and allied sectors are overseen by multiple departments, each handling a specific vertical. Let’s take a look:
1. Department of Agriculture Production and Farmers Welfare (DAPFW) for crop cultivation, soil health, seeds, irrigation support, farm mechanization, agri-subsidies.
2. Department of Horticulture for fruits (apple, walnut, cherry, almond, etc.), orchard development, post-harvest management, cold storage, marketing.
3. Department of Floriculture, Parks & Gardens for promotion of flower cultivation, tulip farms, ornamental plants, nursery development.
4. Jammu and Kashmir Horticultural Produce Marketing and Processing Corporation (JKHPMC) for processing, branding, and export of fruit products.
5. Jammu and Kashmir State Agro Industries Development Corporation Ltd (JAKAGRO) for supplying farm machinery, agro-equipment, and fertilizer.
6. Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST–K & SKUAST–J) for acting as apex institutions for research and education in agriculture and allied fields.
7. Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) – District-Level Extension Units for disseminating knowledge, conducting demonstrations, and training farmers.
8. Department of Animal/Sheep Husbandry and Fisheries for integrated farming systems and rural livelihoods.
All these departments mostly operate in silos with no shared data, no joint planning and zero convergence at ground level. The result? Fragmented schemes, duplicated efforts and a farmer stuck confused in a bureaucratic maze with no clear outcome. Until it is winter!
Instead of synergy, there’s siloed functioning. Majority of farmers don’t even know how many departments exist and what each is supposed to do. There is focus on production, but not on profits. The result? Farmers sell to middlemen in distress. Research is locked in SKUAST Labs, and innovations that must be seen in action on the fields are locked in research papers.
To begin the reforms, government should consider merging these 8 departments and research institutions into a single, mission-driven, apex body. Use one command center. One budget. One rural mission. The government can begin with these 10 major reforms.
1. Merge and converge these departments and create the Jammu & Kashmir Agri Development Authority (JKADA). Make JKADA equivalent to the Finance Department, with direct CM/LG (whatever!) oversight and its own “Green Cabinet.” Agriculture isn’t welfare – it’s economics.
2. Replace Departmental Heads with “Domain CEOs”. Floriculture, Livestock, Horticulture, Dairy – all must be led by experts with 10+ years in field, not IAS officers on rotation.
3. Consolidated Budget and Corpus Fund. Stop fragmented scheme spending. Give each district a “District Agri Credit Card” for on-the-ground innovation.
4. Create “Rural Value Chains Directorate”. One wing solely focused on connecting soil to shelf: market access, branding, logistics, exports. Let farmers earn, not just grow.
5. Launch “AgriStack J&K”: Data Is the New Fertilizer. One digital dashboard with real-time data on crops, land, weather, prices, storage, and buyers. .
6. Merge Mandis and CA Stores into FPO-Owned Agro Malls. Make every district have a “Farmers’ Mall” with grading, branding, storage, and D2C counters. Owned by FPOs, backed by government. No middlemen, no rot. Direct farm to fork concept.
7. Turn SKUAST into Kashmir’s IIM for Agri-Enterprise. Separate SKUAST’s field wing as a rural entrepreneurship incubator. Less research papers, more revenue models.
8. Appoint Agri Ambassadors to Major Markets in India and Abroad. Deploy trade envoys in UAE, Saudi, Germany for direct sourcing of Kashmiri agri-goods. Let buyers come to Pulwama. It is not impossible. If carpet buyers would come to Kashmir four decades ago from Europe and America, why can’t they come now? Why rest on over-dependence on Delhi-based consolidators who grab the bulk of margins.
9. Run “Agri is Business” Campaign. Rebrand agriculture as a career, not a fallback. Use digital reels, grassroots workshops, and success stories. Inspire youth to return to soil–not because they have to, but because it pays.
10. Measure Governance by Crop Profitability, Not Hectares Sown. Every reform must answer one question: Did the farmer earn more per kanal this year than last? If not, the system failed. The department has failed. Fix accountability.
An author, a communications strategist, Dr Sanjay Parva was a debut contestant in 2024 Assembly elections
