Budget Announcements vs Reality
Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU: Despite J&K being an agrarian State, the Agriculture sector remained ignored during the PDP-BJP regime while the Government and concerned authorities failed to honour even the key announcements, made by none but the then Agriculture Minister, Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura, for reviving the agro production and sustenance of the same.
While replying to the Demands for Grants of Agriculture Department in the Legislative Assembly on March 26, 2015, then Agriculture Minister had announced 50 percent waiver of Kissan Credit Card (KCC) loan to small farmers, developing a Modal Basmati village, saffron village, multi commodity cold storage at Delhi, formation of a Working Group of experts to guide the Government as how to give boost to the Agriculture productivity for sustainable development and stringent measures against sale and stocking of sub standard seeds, fertilizers and pesticides.
However, none of these announcements were translated into reality as the Government and concerned authorities apparently forgot the own commitments for the reasons best known to them. Further, there was no positive development on other core issues of the Department, which are directly proportional to the Agriculture production in J&K.
One of the most important announcements in the budget, was establishment of a Model Basmati Cluster Village. The project was aimed at providing better selling opportunities through training on market intelligence, ensuring direct interaction between farmers and buyers, eliminating middlemen from the agro-trading system and provide premium price to the farmers through reduction in cost of production and better returns.
After the announcement, the concerned authorities of the Agriculture Department had formulated a project for promotion of organic Basmati Cluster Village of Suchetgarh in R S Pura and submitted the same to the Administrative Department for further necessary action. Thereafter, a series of requisite formalities were also completed but neither formal approval was given till date nor funds were released to translate the key announcement of then Government into reality.
Under Suchetgarh Basmati Rice Cluster Project, 220 families of Suchetgarh village, 190 of Korotana and 149 families of Bidhipur Jattan are to be covered. Moreover, a total of 757.60 hectare area comes under this project and these families are to be provided appropriate training and better crop management to ensure decrease in cost of production.
The similar projects regarding development of Apple Village, Mango Village and Saffron Village also met the same fate as the higher authorities of the concerned department did not take up the projects seriously.
Further, in view of crop loss due to incessant rains and floods in the State, the Government had extended waiver of 50 percent KCC loan to small and vulnerable marginal farmers and an amount of Rs 150 crore was even proposed in the budget estimates of 2015-16 for this purpose. However, not even a single farmer was provided this waiver as the announcement remained on papers only.
Similarly, there has been no progress on the project of multi commodity cold storage, which was proposed to be established at Delhi to help the J&K farmers to capture the market facilities in the Capital city.
There was another announcement by Mr Hanjura against the sale and stocking of sub standard seeds, fertilizers and pesticides. He had announced that the Government would take stringent measures including cancellation of licenses against those found indulged in this trade. However, there was not special drive by the Law Enforcing Wing of the Agriculture Department to book the culprits, except customary sampling-a practice being followed in the department since years.
Further, there was no special emphasis on adequate seed replacement, farmer friendly research and field work by the State Agriculture universities while demoralization of Agriculture Department employees because of no DPC for the last 30 years is also one of the factors behind negligible growth in this sector with the ultimate result that farmers are converting their agricultural land into commercial one by raising concrete structures on fields.
Even as Agriculture occupies an important place in the economy of J&K, the share of Agriculture and allied sectors is only around one fifth of the Gross State Domestic Product while nearly 70 percent of the State population derives its livelihood directly or indirectly from agricultural sector.
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