Jammu, Feb 23 The agriculture sector will get more share of the budget of Jammu and Kashmir in the future and a unique sustainable agriculture plan has been developed in the Union Territory, which currently caters to all developmental needs without compromising future potential, J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said during the Horti-Expo 2021 here on Monday.
Sinha said that the promotion of local produce and taking them to the global market is one of the key focus areas of the J&K government which is making continuous efforts to increase the resources and market linkages to further strengthen the horticulture sector.
While addressing the farmers, the Lt Governor said that the UT government would continue striving hard to provide the best and advanced technologies to the farmers.
"I assure the farmers that the mandis are very much here to stay. In fact, they are getting strengthened and modernised. People should not spread false information and mislead the farmers", said the Lt Governor.
Sinha said the government is also setting up farmers producers organisations in all the 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir in the next three months to strengthen business activities related to agriculture and horticulture.
For the convenience of the farmers, free thresher is being provided in every panchayat of the UT. Road tax on tractors up to 3000 CC capacity has also been exempted and no tax will be imposed on power tillers, he added.
Underscoring the interventions being made by the government for the progress and growth of agriculture and horticulture sectors, Sinha said that in the last few years, under the able guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and because of the hard work of the farmers, agricultural scientists, and the policies adopted by the horticulture department, J&K is getting distinct recognition in the world.
Reiterating the government's commitment for exploring all the possibilities for giving a further push to the development of priority sectors like agriculture and horticulture, the Lt Governor recalled the recently held NITI Aayog meeting in which he had requested the Prime Minister to provide the facility of dry port and international flights to Jammu and Kashmir so that products, including those related to agriculture and horticulture, could be exported directly.
The Lt Governor has also requested the NITI Aayog that instead of spreading the resources, the Central government could consider specific product-based funding programmes on the lines of the National Saffron Mission which was a success because of its focus on one product.
( With inputs from IANS )
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