Srinagar: Declaring that “without women farmers, every plate would be empty,” Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday underlined the central role of women in sustaining global food systems while calling for urgent measures to remove barriers limiting their growth and prosperity.
Addressing the Women Farmers Conference organised by Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited in Srinagar, the Lieutenant Governor stressed that although women contribute immensely to agriculture, they are often excluded from economic gains. He urged cooperatives and government stakeholders to identify and eliminate challenges faced by women farmers, ensuring direct market access and stronger participation in decision-making.
Highlighting the significance of 2026 being declared the International Year of Women Farmers by the UN General Assembly, Sinha described it as a “historic opportunity” to recognise women as creators and leaders in agriculture rather than mere labourers. He called for prioritising women in every government scheme and policy.
Emphasising women-led development, the Lieutenant Governor said that sectors such as agriculture, horticulture, fisheries and dairy must allocate dedicated resources for women. He also urged financial institutions to design loan products enabling even landless women farmers to access credit in their own names. Technology innovators, he added, must develop tools tailored to women farmers to enhance productivity and ease of work.
Sinha pointed out that Jammu and Kashmir has made significant strides in empowering women farmers through various initiatives. Under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP), 14,782 women farmers have been registered, while the J&K Climate Innovation Programme (JKCIP), launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2024, has enrolled 5,248 women. Over 90,000 women are beneficiaries of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, while thousands more are engaged in natural farming, horticulture, sericulture, dairy, and allied sectors.
Across agriculture and related fields, nearly 3.11 lakh women are currently registered in Jammu and Kashmir, with many more yet to be brought into formal systems. The Lieutenant Governor urged unregistered women farmers to join central schemes and benefit from government support.
He also highlighted the growing role of self-help groups, women-led farmer producer organisations (FPOs), and skill-based programmes in areas such as mushroom cultivation, beekeeping, food processing and dairy, stating that when women control agricultural resources, they ensure long-term food security and resilience.
Calling for stronger institutional support, Sinha urged IFFCO to establish a farmers’ training centre, multi-facility service centre, sheep production unit, and provide mobile soil testing machines in the Union Territory.
On the sidelines of the event, the Lieutenant Governor announced that a mass movement for a “Drug-Free Jammu and Kashmir” will be launched in the Kashmir division from Srinagar on May 3, 2026, urging women and youth to actively participate.
During the programme, the Lieutenant Governor felicitated women agri-entrepreneurs and visited exhibition stalls showcasing innovations and products by farmers and self-help groups.
The conference was attended by Agriculture Minister Javid Ahmad Dar, IFFCO Chairman Dileep Singhani, Managing Director K.J. Patel, senior officials, agriculture experts, and a large number of women farmers and entrepreneurs from across the region.
He also said he will not rest till he rids Jammu and Kashmir of the drug menace.
All the departments, be it the social welfare department or the health department, are working towards the drug-free goal, he said, addressing a women farmers’ conference here.
“I have launched the ‘Nasha Mukt’ campaign on April 11 in Jammu, and we have decided that we will not rest till we eradicate the drug abuse problem,” Sinha said.
“When Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan’ in 2020, a lot of efforts were made in Jammu and Kashmir as well. Police are taking action on their part, more drugs are being seized, there are more arrests than earlier, and more cases are being registered,” he added.
Sinha said the anti-drug abuse campaign will also be launched in Kashmir in the first week of May.
“We will be launching the Kashmir chapter of the campaign on May 3. I request you sisters to come forward and contribute towards a drug-free Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
The L-G said the government alone cannot overcome this problem.
“We have seen women who have lost a child or their daughter has fallen victim to drug abuse. We can get rid of this menace when the power of government is supported by the efforts of the people,” he added.
The L-G highlighted the contributions of women farmers in agriculture and allied sectors and agri-entrepreneurship.
Sinha said, “Without women farmers, every plate would be empty, leaving humanity starved.”
“They sustain the world, work harder than their male counterparts and their strength anchors food security, planting seeds of prosperity for families and society in every field,” he said.
