Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday called upon the new generation of scientists and experts to focus on smart farming, saying the total transformation at “all stages of ‘Beej se Bazar tak’ (from seed to market)” has been the Union Territory’s “mantra”.
Sinha lauded the significant contribution of ‘Nari Shakti’ to innovation and enhancing productivity and efficiency in the agriculture sector.
Addressing the 9th Convocation ceremony of SKUAST-Jammu, the Lt Governor congratulated all the graduating students. He also extended his felicitations to the management, faculty, and staff on the completion of 25 glorious years of the University.
In areas like climate smart crops, pest management, biotech solutions, organic farming, the participation of women scientists has made invaluable contribution, he said.
“Agriculture and Allied Sector is witnessing women-led development. I am extremely proud that out of eight gold medalists in post-graduate and graduate students, seven are our daughters. Out of 35 Certificates of Merit in PhD and Post-Graduate, 32 Merit Certificates were awarded to our daughters. It is a symbol of the rising influence of Nari Shakti in Agriculture and allied sectors and I believe they will be driving innovation for sustainable agriculture and enhancing farmers’ income,” he said.
He highlighted the need for a stronger innovation and modern technology ecosystem for sustainable agricultural practices to prioritize farmer incomes, risk mitigation and strengthening farmer-industry linkages.
“Farmer welfare is the top priority of Prime Minister Narendra Modi…the positive impact of the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP) and Competitiveness Improvement of Agriculture and Allied Sectors Project in J-K (JKCIP) on farmers’ income is now visible,” he said.
He said total transformation at all stages of ‘Beej se Bazar tak’ has been our mantra of J-K. “The resolution of Lab to Land has been realised to make the small and marginal farmers self-reliant.”
Calling upon the new generation of scientists and experts to focus on smart farming, he said the revolution in seed production, pest management, food processing, farm mechanization has ensured opportunities for the young professional to contribute in product development and quality control.
The Lt Governor, meanwhile, inaugurated a state-of-the-art Ex-Situ Gene Bank which will preserve genetic resources such as seeds, plant tissue, animal germplasm outside their natural habitat and will prove to be an invaluable resource for breeding and research programmes.
The SKUAST Jammu has become the third institution in the country to have Ex-Situ Gene Bank.
The Lt Governor also laid the foundation stone for a 200-bedded farmers’ hostel and a faculty building with common academic facilities.
During the convocation, 446 degrees were awarded including 157 Masters, 46 Doctorates, and 243 Undergraduate degrees. Eight Gold Medals were also conferred to meritorious students.
