J&K spends Rs 2,000 cr annually on import of meat, poultry

Jammu:Jammu and Kashmir is spending about Rs 2,000 crore annually to import meat and poultry, Governor N N Vohra has said and called for concerted efforts to make the state a net exporter of these products.
The states import bill for meat, poultry and eggs is approximately Rs 2,000 crore per annum and both the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) and the Agriculture Department need to prepare a road map for making the state a net exporter of these products,” he said.
Vohra, who is the Chancellor of the SKUAST, said this while inaugurating a two-day ‘Kisan Mela’ at the Chatha Campus of SKUAST-Jammu here yesterday.
He called upon the varsity and the agriculture department and banks to work closely to lay the foundation of the second green revolution.
The fair has been organised on the theme ‘Technology Driven Agriculture for Doubling Farmers Income’.
Stressing the importance of implementing meaningful outreach programmes, Vohra said the farmers need hand holding by the scientists and agriculture-related departments. A support system, starting from the supply of quality seeds to the marketing of the agricultural produce at fair prices, should be developed, he said.
Minister for Agriculture Development Gulam Nabi Lone Hanjura said his department has prepared a policy paper for putting in place a cold chain for vegetables so that the farmers can get remunerative prices for their produce.
He said the setting of procurement centres of paddy by the agriculture department has curtailed the distress sales and provided a “good price of Rs 1,450 per quintal to the farmers”.
Vohra hailed the work done by the university in making technological breakthroughs for enhancing the on-farm income of small-scale farm households in the state and observed that new models of agriculture being developed by it should be adopted by farmers to multiply their incomes.