Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Feb 6: Vice-Chancellor of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Nazir Ahmad, today said that the university will organise its 11th Farmers’ Festival, branded as Gongal, from February 14 to 16 at the university campus.
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Addressing a press conference here, Ahmad said the three-day event would be a technology-driven agricultural festival aimed at showcasing the progress of agriculture in Jammu and Kashmir and supporting the Government’s Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP), launched in 2022 to transform the sector and boost rural livelihoods.
He said the festival, which was earlier held over two days, was extended to three days last year following public demand and growing participation. The dates have been chosen to coincide with the weekend to ensure wider public and farmer turnout. “Over the last two to three years, nearly two to three lakh people have been visiting this festival annually,” Ahmad said, describing Gongal as the university’s mega farmers’ event.
According to the Vice-Chancellor, around 300 stalls were set up during last year’s edition, including about 100 from the university and nearly 200 from outside institutions, private companies, agribusiness firms, startups, farmer producer organisations (FPOs) and cooperatives. “The stalls will display the entire agricultural value chain, from seeds and planting material to farm machinery, automation technologies, irrigation systems, post-harvest logistics, storage, processing, packaging, branding and marketing,” he said.
Ahmad said the festival will place a strong emphasis on mechanisation and automation to reduce drudgery, improve efficiency and increase farm profitability. Champion farmers and promising agribusiness entrepreneurs supported by the university and government departments will also exhibit their products and innovations.
He said visitors will be able to see patented products developed by the university’s students and faculty, many of which are not available elsewhere in the country. “This reflects our shift towards a knowledge-driven economy, where intellectual property generated will belong to the youth of Jammu and Kashmir,” he added.
The festival will feature a seed show, livestock and pet and animal show, startup and technology exhibition, infrastructure and mushroom show, food carnival, vegetable and fruit shows, flower show, processed food products, medicinal and aromatic plants exhibition, organic and natural farming displays, and a nutrition and health extension show.
A special agribusiness brand competition will also be organised, with a prize of Rs 50,000 for the best brand. Ahmad said the focus would be on strengthening the identity and quality of products from Jammu and Kashmir, many of which already enjoy geographical indication (GI) tags and national and global recognition.
The VC said the theme of this year’s festival is My Produce, My Price, which aims to empower FPOs and cooperatives to enhance farmers’ bargaining power, improve price discovery and reduce dependence on middlemen. Farmer-scientist interaction programmes will be held during the festival to address farmers’ queries and promote adoption of new technologies.
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