SRINAGAR: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday called for greater innovation and entrepreneurship in agriculture and allied sectors, saying the fields are emerging as major areas of opportunity for Jammu and Kashmir’s youth.
Sinha made the remarks while inaugurating new infrastructure at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), Jammu, and launching the Startup Outreach Programme under the Jammu and Kashmir Competitiveness Improvement Project (JKCIP).
The facilities inaugurated included the Unnati Girls Hostel, Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Agriculture, Centre for Mushroom Research and Innovation, Advanced Sericulture Laboratory, and Centre for Digital Media and Publication.
Addressing researchers, scientists, farmers, students, startups, innovators and Farmer Producer Organisations from across the Jammu division, Sinha said the new facilities should serve as platforms for research, innovation and entrepreneurship rather than being viewed only as physical infrastructure.
He urged young entrepreneurs to develop solutions tailored to Jammu and Kashmir’s agricultural conditions instead of replicating models developed elsewhere.
“Different countries have innovated for their own problems, and now it is time for Jammu Kashmir to innovate for its own questions and challenges,” he said.
Sinha cited agricultural innovations in countries including the Netherlands, Israel, New Zealand and Brazil, and said Jammu and Kashmir should focus on solutions suited to its own fields, farmers, climate and local requirements.
He also called on young people to move from being job seekers to job creators, saying entrepreneurship could contribute to building a self-reliant Jammu and Kashmir.
The Lieutenant Governor urged students to treat their university education as a foundation for innovation and enterprise. He said knowledge, curiosity, courage, patience, honesty and sustained effort could help turn ideas into startups and create employment for others.
Sinha further asked farmers and young entrepreneurs to explore value addition through cold chains, grading, packaging, branding and digital marketplaces. He said agricultural and allied products from Jammu and Kashmir could access major markets, including Delhi and Dubai, with greater emphasis on quality, value addition and market connectivity.
Emphasising women’s participation in entrepreneurship, he called for greater support to women-led Self-Help Groups and FPOs in accessing finance, technology, markets and research-based solutions.
He also urged SKUAST researchers to assist women entrepreneurs in developing enterprises capable of generating employment for other women.
On the Startup Outreach Programme, Sinha said its purpose was to take opportunities related to incubation, mentoring and venture capital to farmers and young people in villages, including those with limited exposure to such support systems.
He said practical agricultural solutions could emerge from people directly experiencing challenges in the sector.
According to the Lieutenant Governor, SKUAST-Jammu has so far selected more than 150 students for idea incubation and supported 56 promising startups. He asked the university to expand the initiative and strengthen its role in connecting laboratories with markets, scientists with farmers and technology with field-level needs.
Sinha also asked students to regularly consider four questions: what problem they could solve, what enterprise they could build, what value they could add to agriculture and how many families could benefit from their ideas.
During the programme, eight startups, FPOs and cooperative or rural enterprises were felicitated for their work in agriculture, allied sectors, value addition and rural enterprise development.
Four publications were also released: Policy Document for Promoting Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in JK; Chronicle of Innovation and Startups under RKVY-RAFTAAR, SKUAST-Jammu; Value on the Vine: Economic and Market Dynamics of Vegetables; and student’s Rural Exploration Programme (SREP).
Additional Chief Secretary, Finance Department, Shailendra Kumar; SKUAST-Jammu Vice Chancellor Prof. B.N. Tripathi; Director Extension Dr Amrish Vaid; Registrar Dr Anil Kumar, along with faculty members, officials, scientists, students, entrepreneurs, startup representatives, FPOs, cooperatives and other stakeholders attended the programme.
