SRINAGAR: Minister for Agriculture Production department, Javid Ahmad Dar today informed the house that as per preliminary reports of the department around Rs. 209 Crores loss has been reported due to recent closure of National Highway by landslides and flash floods in agriculture and allied sectors.
The Minister made these remarks while replying a question raised by Legislator Waheed-Ur-Rehman Para in the legislative assembly today.
The Minister informed the house that under the Re-structured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS), Apple, Saffron, Mango and Litchi crops have been notified to provide cover. He added that the tendering process for selection of Insurance company (out of the empanelled Insurance companies notified by the GoI) to provide Insurance cover to these Horticulture crops is in process.
Regarding CA storage, the Minister said that the department is providing assistance for establishment of C.A. Storage units in the JKUT and the estimated requirement for Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage is 6.00 LMT, (30% of annual production fruit crops). He added that currently, Jammu and Kashmir has 2.92 LMT of capacity and the Department is contemplating to increase the C.A. Storage capacity in next five years through Centrally Sponsored Scheme Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) besides J&K Government is also providing top-up subsidy from UT Capex
The Minister also informed that various initiatives are undertaken by Government to support this expansion like Awareness/seminars are being conducted in each District to aware the youth about the incentives available for establishment of C.A. infrastructure and other post-harvest related activities. He added that as most CA stores are located in the Industrial Growth Centre at Lassipora, Pulwama, and the Industrial Estate at Aglar, Shopian, efforts are underway with the Industries and Commerce Department to establish sector-specific industrial estates for horticulture and post-harvest management in other districts.
Regarding the steps being taken for upgradation and improvement of Fruit Mandi at Pulwama and Rajpora, the Minister said that the Department has established two fruit and vegetable Markets in Pulwama district at Prichoo Pulwama and Pachhar Rajpora Pulwama, which have been made functional. He added that the basic infrastructure is available in these mandis, however, up-gradation and improvement of the mandis is a continuous process for which funds to the tune of Rs 1.28 Cr and Rs 3.68 Cr respectively have been earmarked for up-gradation under NABARD for the Year 2025-26.
With respect to measures being taken to revive the Market Intervention Scheme and to use NAFED model to support apple growers, the Minister informed that the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) was announced by the Government of J&K in the year 2019 for procurement of Apple fruit crop through Government of India’s authorized Enterprise, National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation Ltd. (NAFED) to provide benefit to the farmers by facilitating the timely marketing of farm produce during Covid-19 pandemic.
He also added that possibility of establishing in CA storage units in other districts apart from Pulwama is being explored to cater growing demands of horticulturists.
Legislators, M.Y Tarigami; Ghulam Mohidin Mir and Javid Riyaz Bedar raised supplementary questions on the subject.