Jammu: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday lauded the agricultural scientists, faculty and students in driving innovation and called for farmer-centric research to build self-reliant Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing the 9th convocation ceremony of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) here, Abdullah applauded the outstanding performance of girl students securing 252 out of 446 degrees, seven of eight gold medals, and 32 of 35 merit certificates.
“This is an absolute pleasure to see so many girls receiving gold medals, a shining example of women excelling in agri-education and research,” he said.
“Earlier, there was a time when out of 10 students, only one used to be a girl but the ratio has changed…it is encouraging and shows that there is no field in which our sisters and daughters are not able to establish a position for themselves,” the chief minister said, receiving a thundering applause from the audience.
He said gone are the days when it was thought that agriculture and allied sectors were the exclusive domain of men who have to fight for their rightful place by virtue of hardwork.
Highlighting the importance of agriculture and allied sectors, he said this is an area which has a rich potential and needs a focussed attention from the government and the academia to build self-reliant Jammu and Kashmir with farmer-centric research.
“This sector is the most important part of our economy. In terms of visibility, tourism is seen as more important while industry also gets a lot of attention. But if you look at the GDP of J-K as a state, as a territory, agriculture and allied sectors far exceed anything else that contributes to the economy of the J-K,” Abdullah said.
The chief minister said new technologies, innovations, new ideas and new government policies like the holistic agriculture program of J-K or sending money directly into the bank accounts of farmers by the union government, insurance cover for failed crops provide an opportunity in this sector.
However, he said, this sector is also fraught with risks and dangers. “The land is becoming more and more scarce and climate change is also a reality.”
Abdullah said there was a time in Jammu and Kashmir when the locals would not have thought that they could face water scarcity.
“There was a time when we thought that water will always remain, we will always use it but there will never be a shortage of water or draught like situation. This has changed as we face water shortage and we have to see what we can do to modify the way we grow, to try and conserve our limited resource,” he said.
He also talked about excessive dependence on chemicals and agricultural fertilizers and said the world is moving more towards organic crops, the crops that do not have an adverse effect on the health of the people.
Congratulating the students who have received their degrees and medals, the chief minister said looking at so many young, bright and enthusiastic future agricultural professionals going out into the world would be of great help to the society.
“Some of you will join government service, some private sector and perhaps some will work for themselves. But in all this, I hope that you will hold true to your teachings,” he said.
