Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 29: Different farmers’ bodies of Jammu province today held a joint meeting under the chairmanship of Tajinder Singh Wazir, Member, J&K Kissan Advisory Board, and expressed serious concern over the exclusion of real farming stakeholders of the farming community from the budget preparation process.
They observed that meaningful consultation with farmers could have significantly contributed to holistic agricultural development, but instead, the exercise appeared limited to media optics, resulting in the loss of valuable grassroot feedback.
Addressing the meeting, Tajinder Singh Wazir stated that although agriculture and allied sectors are presently witnessing a “golden era” in terms of schemes and fund allocations, the lack of proper planning, accountability, and timely implementation has prevented farmers from reaping the intended benefits. He said that while some areas show signs of revival, others continue to suffer due to weak execution mechanisms.
He strongly advocated for the creation of a special revolving fund of Rs 300 crore to ensure uninterrupted implementation of Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) and State Sector Schemes, keeping in view the time-sensitive nature of agricultural operations.
The meeting also highlighted that farmers in other parts of India receive matching grants for sustainability to strengthen their economy, whereas in Jammu & Kashmir, limited State share results in reduced Central assistance.
Expressing concern over the neglect of commercial floriculture, the farmers noted that despite vast potential, the sector has remained underdeveloped for the past two decades. Jammu & Kashmir continues to import tulips and other planting material worth crores of rupees.
Key demands raised during the meeting included, creation of permanent mandies (markets) for grain procurement in Jammu province, establishment of Agriculture Skill Development Centres in every districts centre of excellence for dairy, mushrooms honey and potatoes in JK UT, focused measures to mitigate climate change impact on agriculture, effective utilization of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds in agriculture and allied sector and proper implementation of schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY), Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) and PMDP etc.
The meeting was attended by Vijay Rajinder Singh, Kuldeep Raj, Baldev Singh, Tarseem Pal, Radha Ram, Ravi Kumar, and Parshant, among others.
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