Jammu and Kashmir Agriculture Summit Inaugurated

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurated the three-day Agriculture Summit and Kisan Mela organized by Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu. He emphasized the 'Agriculture First' policy for a Developed India and 'Aatma-Nirbhar India===Jammu and Kashmir', highlighting agriculture and allied sectors as crucial for stability and prosperity. Sinha called for the integration of AI-powered farming, advocating for affordable technology tools to predict crop output, deploy IoT sensors, and create 'digital farm twins' for precision irrigation and better yield forecasting. He also stressed the need for village-level seed banks, circular farming models, district-level processing facilities, and direct market linkages for Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs). The Lieutenant Governor dismissed concerns about recent trade agreements, reiterating the Government of India's commitment to safeguarding farmers' interests. He also launched the Crop Cultivation Scheme and inaugurated facilities like the Bayer Learning Centre.