The Jammu and Kashmir government has a master plan to add 50,000 metric tonnes of cold storage capacity, signifying the Union Territory’s move towards prosperity by creating a strong market for the farmers and horticulturists.
The proposed addition of 50,000 metric tonnes would take the cold storage capacity of the UT to around 3.5 lakh metric tonnes.
This push to the creation of cold chain infrastructure will ensure that the state has an excellent post-harvest management system to secure farmers’ income.
The government is all set to create a market for the produce that has been surplusing in the UT for quite some time now.
A number of such initiatives are a part of the larger strategy for reimagining agriculture in Jammu and Kashmir.
The government’s focus on increasing capital expenditure on agriculture and allied sectors for the second consecutive year shows its intent to pivot from subsistence farming to remunerative farming in a big way.
The proposal to set up Centres of Excellence for vegetable and floriculture and the crop digitization project targeting over 10 lakh farmers to take farming in UT to the next level will enable the UT to meet the requirements of ‘Operation Golden Greens,’ the NITI Aayog initiative.
That aims to position Jammu and Kashmir as a global hub for horticultural crops by 2047.
The UT government’s initiatives to develop and strengthen cold chain infrastructure and post-harvest management, including grading, packing, marketing, etc., are likely to give a fillip to the production of high-value crops like apple and saffron.
With the improved storage infrastructure, the shelf life of the produce is bound to increase, which will enable the farmers to demand higher prices for their produce at domestic as well as international levels.
The fruit mandis that have started coming up in the UT, along with the modern processing units with canning, grading, freezing, and other machineries that have been commissioned in the UT, are testaments to the changes taking place on the ground.
The initiatives that the Jammu and Kashmir government has taken to promote and popularize horticultural crops will benefit the farmers for years to come.
