J&K State Advisory Board For Development of Kisans

The Board so far organized various Kisan Melas-cum-awareness Camps at district, tehsil and panchayat levels throughout the State wherein concerned District Development Commissioners, Officers of the Agriculture and allied departments and progressive Kisans participated. The Kisans were apprised about the latest techniques of farming and the Scientists and extension workers of KrishiVigyanKendras demonstrated the innovative methods of farming to the audiences which were organized by the Kisan Board through the medium of ICE (Information, Communication and Education) programmes. With the interaction between the Kisans and Officers, many issues got resolved on spot by the intervention of the concerned Deputy Commissioners and Agriculture Officers. The minutes of the meetings held from time to time have been sent to the concerned Hon’ble Ministers and Administrative Secretaries for appropriate action at their end. More than five hundred Kisans participated in each of these Kisan Melas-cum-awareness camps and got themselves acquainted with the welfare schemes of the government.

The Board held several meetings with the Bankers working in the State and impressed upon them to ease their lending process by way of giving liberal loans to the educated unemployed youth who want to opt the profession of farming. In these meetings the officials of Entrepreneurship Development Institution (EDI) dealing with “Sher-e-Kashmir Employment & Welfare Programme for Youth” (SKEWPY) were involved.

The Board constituted different Committees on Horticulture, Floriculture, Sericulture, Fisheries, apiculture, Irrigation and the report with recommendations were sent to the respective Administrative departments for time bound action on their part. While framing the report the members of these committees kept close liaison with the genuine stakeholders so that their genuine problems are addressed by the concerned agencies.

The Board from its inception arranged pre-budget meetings between the Kisans and successive Hon’ble Finance Ministers with the result many incentives and concessions were announced in the State budgets for the upliftment and welfare of the common Kisans of the State. The VAT exemptions have been granted for purchase of Agriculture implements, seed, fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, bee keeping equipments etc and the slogan of Kisan Board is to make agriculture a tax free sector.

A delegation of progressive farmers along with some Board Members were sent on exposure tour in the neighbouring states where they got themselves acquainted with the latest technologies in the agriculture sector for enhancing their agricultural produce in their respective areas. The farmers among other things were introduced to the new and innovative technologies meant for boosting the agricultural produce in the State.

The Board at many occasions gave prizes to the tune of rupees one lakh to some progressive Kisans especially educated youth who have opted for farming profession and have excelled in producing flowers, stone fruit, honey and other agriculture produce.

At one point of time the Board deputed 30 women farmers from our State to Raibareli in Utter Pradesh to acquaint themselves with the concept of self-help groups. There they interacted with the women organizers of the Organization known as Rajiv Gandhi Mahila Vikas Pariyoujana who apprised them about the methods by which a common women can earn her livelihood by opting various skills as is being practically done by them. After visiting Raibareli, the group played a pivotal role in motivating the women folk to join self-help groups for traditional and other activities in their own areas.

The Board played an important role in establishing paddy procurement centres through Food Corporation of India in coordination with the Departments of Agriculture and Food supplies in Jammu Province where the common farmers used to sell their agriculture produce in distress sale to the private millers.

The present Vice Chairman during the last one and half years has met all the Agriculture Ministers of the neighbouring States including the Central Agriculture Minister and other officials and discussed with them the ways and means for declaring the state of J&K as Organic state.