Jammu, February 11, 2026: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today inaugurated a three-day Agriculture Summit and Kisan Mela at SKUAST-Jammu, underscoring that an “Agriculture First” policy is vital for building a developed India and an Aatma-Nirbhar Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing the inaugural session, the Lieutenant Governor described agriculture and allied sectors as an essential safeguard for any developing society, stating that despite challenges ranging from climate change to economic uncertainty, the sector remains central to economic stability and citizens’ prosperity.
In his keynote address on AI-powered advanced agriculture, Sinha called for affordable and accessible technology solutions to help small and marginal farmers make data-driven decisions based on weather, soil and crop patterns. He said artificial intelligence has the potential to transform agriculture and stressed the need for high-impact, farmer-centric innovations in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Lieutenant Governor directed officials, SKUAST and experts to deploy IoT sensors and satellite imagery to develop digital farm models enabling precision irrigation, with the aim of significantly reducing water consumption. He also urged the development of AI-based tools to enhance crop yields, reduce input costs and provide real-time data on soil health and crop conditions to farmers.
Emphasising sustainable practices, Sinha called for the establishment of village-level seed banks with climate-resilient local varieties and advocated circular farming models in which crop residue is reused as animal feed and organic fertilizer to improve soil health and reduce external inputs.
Highlighting the need to strengthen agricultural infrastructure, he stressed the importance of setting up processing facilities in all 20 districts and linking Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) directly with consumers to ensure better returns for farmers. He also said the Government of India is committed to safeguarding farmers’ interests in recent trade agreements and has put in place protective measures to shield agricultural production.
The Lieutenant Governor credited agricultural scientists and farmers for India’s growing global standing in agriculture and allied sectors. He also referred to ongoing efforts to boost the dairy sector in Jammu and Kashmir, including plans to enhance milk processing capacity through the National Dairy Development Board.
On the occasion, Sinha launched the Crop Cultivation Scheme of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices under the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. He also inaugurated the Bayer Learning Centre for Advanced Agricultural Learning and Innovation, a Branding Centre and a Pesticide Quality Control Laboratory. Winners of the SKUAST-Jammu AgriThon 2.0 Startup First Awards were felicitated, and several publications on agriculture and allied sectors were released.
The event was attended by Agriculture Production Minister Javid Ahmad Dar, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary (Agriculture Production) Shailendra Kumar, SKUAST-Jammu Vice-Chancellor Prof. B.N. Tripathi, Padma Shri Dr Ashok Kumar Singh and other senior officials, scientists, experts and progressive farmers.
