The News Caravan

Tag: kashmir agriculture

  • JK Govt To Spend Rs 560 Crore On Agriculture, Allied Sectors Under HADP

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    SRINAGAR: The agriculture and allied sectors in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are poised for significant growth and boost with launch of a slew of technological advancements and extension programs, government said on Tuedsay.

    These interventions, incentivized through various schemes and projects, have already led to improvements in quality and quantity of produce in the region, a government spokesperson said.

    However, the challenge remains in integrating smallholder produce with market systems that are both effective and transparent. This will ensure that farmers receive a fair price for their goods while consumers get good value for their money. To tackle this issue, Jammu and Kashmir is implementing a project under Holistic Agriculture Development Program (HADP) that aims to strengthen the existing market infrastructure and create a robust market ecosystem that caters to the needs of all stakeholders, it said.

    Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture Production Department, Atal Dulloo, emphasized that the proposed project will be segmented into several key areas. These included market reforms, infrastructure development, institutional and capacity building, branding, digital marketing, and market research information systems. The project aims to achieve its objectives through an investment of Rs 560 crore, which will be spread over a period of five years.

    Dulloo expressed confidence that this project will bring about significant improvements in agriculture and allied sectors in Jammu & Kashmir, providing a boost to the region’s economy and benefiting farmers and consumers alike.

    The project aims to improve the Terms of Trade (ToT) in favor of farmers, improve efficiency and effectiveness of the market ecosystem and minimize the value loss while maximizing societal welfare. The proposed activities or areas of intervention will strengthen the existing agricultural marketing system in Jammu & Kashmir, bringing long-term dividends across stakeholders, particularly farmer-producers.

    The proposed project also envisages significant growth in agriculture and allied sectors through various activities. The market reforms included implementation of an open auction system, a single license for trading in all mandies, and institutionalization of post-harvest infrastructure with the eNAM network. Infrastructure development will involve converting mandies into value chain parks, creating new mandies and installing composting units. Besides, institutional building and capacity development will focus on the formation of Niche Product Marketing FPOs.

    Branding activities will include creation of two Agriculture Branding Centers, mapping of existing branding practices, farmers/FPO brand building training and workshops, and integration of branded niche products with the tourism and hotel industry. Lastly, rural business and service hubs will be established in production areas.

    The Directorate of Horticulture, Planning & Marketing will be responsible for on-ground implementation of the project and will serve as the nodal agency for providing unified licensing to potential traders.

    The government of Jammu & Kashmir is set to implement this new project that aims to transform the agriculture sector through a multi-faceted approach. This approach includes market reforms, development of infrastructure, and promotion of institutional building and capacity development of Niche Product Marketing FPOs.

    Market reforms will bring transparency and fairness in trading practices, genuine price for produce, increase the number of buyers, and fair competition. This will result in an increase in producers’ share in consumer rupee. Infrastructure development will create an efficient and effective market ecosystem, minimize value loss, overcome distress sale, improve logistics, adhere to quality standards, ease of doing business, target unattended geographies, waste to wealth, and minimize environmental pollution.

    Private entrepreneurs will be responsible for development of infrastructure, including CA stores, grading lines, mini cold stores, reefer vans and pick-up vans. The Directorate of Horticulture, Planning & Marketing will establish composting units at potential mandies, and also create new mandies in collaboration with the respective District Administrations.

    The promotion and support of institutional building and capacity development of Niche Product Marketing FPOs will be done in collaboration with allied departments and Agriculture Universities of the UT. The emphasis will be laid on branding of agriculture produce to promote marketing and competitive advantage of Niche crops. This will also result in scale economies in input and output marketing, operations, bargaining power, contract farming, better terms of trade (ToT), self-reliance, and confidence.

    The project will also include the identification, capacity building, and promotion of Rural Business & Service Hubs (RBSHs) across all districts of J&K. This intervention will provide quality inputs/services, improve logistics in management operations, improve yield and quality produce, technology outreach, extension of improved varieties and machines, and market information

    A dedicated Market Intelligence Cell will be established at SKUAST-K in collaboration with concerned Departments. The establishment of this Cell will result in creation of decision support system, improved marketing strategy by stakeholders, fairness in trading, more competition, and better policy outcomes. Digital marketing will play a pivotal role in doubling farmers income. It will increase the visibility online and enable potential customers to find agricultural business online. The digital marketing strategy will be more effective in case of niche products from UT of J&K to reach the potential customers across the country and globe.

    In order to facilitate online marketing of niche based agri/horti/livestock/fishery/NTFPs, a dedicated web portal may be made operational for online marketing under PPP mode. The portal will be customized for J&K Niche Products for effective marketing strategy.

    The proposed project will have both direct and indirect beneficiaries. Direct beneficiaries will include farmers, market functionaries, potential entrepreneurs, employable masses in infrastructure development, and employable masses in value creation. Indirect beneficiaries will include consumers/customers, importers/buyers, outsource sector/industry, and indirect employable masses.

    Under the initiative, a 50% capital subsidy will be offered for the establishment of 11 Controlled Atmosphere (CA) stores, each with a capacity of 5000 MT, at a unit cost of Rs. 30.00 cr. In addition, a 50% subsidy will be provided for the establishment of 12 hi-tech grading lines, 275 portable grading lines, reefer vans, pick up vans, and mini cold stores. Four mechanized windrow composting units, 16 simple composting units, and four new mandies will also be established at a cost of Rs. 49.00 cr.

    The Institutional Building and Capacity Development component of the project will see 55 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) established with an investment of Rs. 11.00 cr, and 35 capacity building training programs arranged for FPOs, costing Rs. 1.05 cr. Additionally, two Agriculture and Branding Centers will be established in each division at a cost of Rs. 5.20 cr.

    A 50% subsidy will be provided for establishment of 400 Rural Business and Service Hubs, with a ceiling of Rs. 15.00 lakh on each hub. Finally, the infrastructure for digital marketing and market intelligence will be established at a cost of Rs. 11.30 cr.

    The off-season availability of fruits and vegetables is also expected to improve. Value creation is anticipated to increase by 25% to 75%, and there will be an increase in income, value output, employment, reduced food wastage, and an efficient decision support system. As a result, this investment is expected to be highly beneficial.

    The project will result in several key outputs, including the establishment of 11 CA stores with a capacity of 55,000 MT, 12 hi-tech grading lines, 25 mini cold stores, four new mandies in Samba, Reasi, Kishtwar, and Bandipora, 400 Rural Business & Service Hubs, two Agri Branding centers, and one Market Intelligence Cell. This project is also expected to create 6,000 jobs and 629 enterprises in the next five years.

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    #Govt #Spend #Crore #Agriculture #Allied #Sectors #HADP

    ( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

  • Agriculture, Allied Sectors Get Rs 3156 cr In 2023-24 Budget

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    SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday said that Rs 3156 crore have been allocated in budget 2023-24 to help in transforming JK’s agriculture and allied sectors in order to increase farmer income, ensure food security and accelerate UT’s economic growth.

    A Holistic Agriculture Development Plan has been rolled out with 29 proposed projects worth an outlay of Rs 5012 crore to be implemented over a period of next 5 years.

    An official said that the novel initiative will create additional job opportunities for 2,87,910 people in agriculture, horticulture and allied sectors besides 18,861 new business enterprises will be created over the period of next five years.

    Under the ambitious project, the government will create 67000 Metric Ton CA Storage Capacity enabling the farmers store their produce for better returns.

    Jammu and Kashmir government is encouraging and aiding private players to set up cold storage (CA) facilities in order to reduce post harvest losses by increasing the shelf life of various agriculture and horticulture products, as well as to address the issue of distressed crop sales by farmers.

    The government has taken several concrete steps to increase agriculture and horticulture production besides improving crop quality with a special emphasis on post-harvesting management infrastructure particularly in the private sector.

    The UT administration has launched a Rs 46.65 crore `Promotion of Beekeeping’ project to triple the honey production over the next 5 years.

    Monitoring and traceability will be done through GI labs besides 20 Custom Hiring Centers (CHCs) will also be established for extending pollination facilities. ‘Jammu and Kashmir will have a full-fledged center of excellence for constancy, capacity building and post-harvest management,” said the official.

    Under the project, the value addition of honey is also being envisioned coupled with efficient growth of bee sector using native honey bees.

    To make Fish farming a prosperous sector, the UT government has approved a Rs. 176 crore project to boost fish production. The project involves importing genetically improved fish seed, upgrading existing hatcheries and fish rearing units, introducing species diversity in aquaculture through R&D and commercializing trout and carp fish production using modern technologies such as RAS and Biofloc and is estimated to double trout and carp production over the next five years.

    Similarly, dairy is the biggest component of livestock husbandry and plays a pivotal role in sustaining agriculture income and acts as a growth engine for agriculture, allied sectors in J&K.

    The milk production is expected to reach 45 Lakh MTs from 25 Lakh MTs over next five years and will be achieved through a range of measures including expansion of breeding coverage and increasing per animal productivity.

    One of the key elements of the Dairy under HADP project is to increase per-animal productivity from 2400 litre to 4300 litre, which is a significant increase. This will be achieved through a range of interventions including the expansion of Artificial Insemination (AI) centers from 1389 to 2189.

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    #Agriculture #Allied #Sectors #Budget

    ( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

  • A Potato Culture

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    Working in SKUAST-K’s potato laboratory, a scholar was desperate for the MS media, a key ingredient for tissue culture but the lab lacked funds. It took her 28 months to discover a cheap alternative that is abundantly around the campus and it fetched her a prestigious grant to set up a unit for its production, reports Ifra Reshi

    Sameena Lone, the young Kashmir scholar, who bagged a Rs 50 lakh grant from the respected BIRAC for her ground-breaking innovation, intends to change the way people look at the mounds of weeds that are perennially extracted from Dal Lake. She will be converting the weeds into a cheap medium for popularizing tissue culture.

    A resident of Nishat Brein, Sameena, the daughter of a forest range officer, is a vegetable science scholar currently pursuing her PhD at SKAUST. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s in horticulture from SKAUST and her work on potato tissue culture started during her MSc. Working with her mentor, Dr Khursheed Hussain at the Potato Tissue Culture Laboratory, she recognized the high cost of nutrient media used in the cultivation of tissue cell culture.

    “During the learning process, once we fell short of the Murashige and Skoog (MS) media that we were using in potato tissue culture, I posted my mentor. He said the laboratory can’t buy media for lack of funds,” Lone said while recalling the first time she felt the necessity for looking at the alternatives. “My mentor told me he was also looking for alternatives as he faced the same problem at his own end.”

    It pushed the team on a hunt for an affordable, organic nutrient medium that would allow farmers to conduct tissue culture on their own, generating disease-free plantlets with lower pesticide loads.

    After 28 months, “in a whistle-blow phenomenon, Coontail media came to the limelight”. After three years of research and standardization, she discovered that part of the weeds in Dal Lake are hugely nutrient-rich and can be used to create ideas for tissue culture. The success led her team to patent the idea and the associated processes. The idea was found to enable potato farmers to have affordable, organic potato tissue culture media, which not only reduces costs but also produces healthier, and disease-free potatoes.

    This became one of its kind and the first Organic Tissue Culture Media to be used for the mass multiplication of high-quality, disease-free, and organic planting material of potato. Its success led Sameena to set up her own start-up, Kashmeer Organo Greens Private Limited with her mentor as co-founder. The unit currently operates from SKUAST-K’s Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship (SKIIE) Centre.

    = Having an idea and floating a start-up does not make a successful enterprise because it requires resources. Sameena’s Eureka moment in 2018, however, lacked an environment in which capital and resources could be even discussed. There was no concept start-ups, the way it is mainstream right now.

    Things started changing fast as the team started talking about the idea. Almost in every competition of newer ideas, Sameena’s MS media was taken seriously.

    The idea won the first prize in an Innovative Idea Presentation Competition organized by Maharaja Ranjit Singh College of Professional Sciences, Indore (MP), on the 36th National Science Day in 2022.

    Back home, the idea got selected for seed funding from the JK Department of Science and Technology and IC.

    Again, the idea also won first prize in Innovation Business Competition during the National Innovation Workshop held at Jammu on December 1, 2022, organized by GCET Jammu in association with IIT Kharagpur and the World Consortium of University held at Jammu.

    Then came the final surprise when the idea, Organic and Disease-Free Seed Potato Production through Tissue Culture in Kashmir, bagged a prestigious grant from the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), a Not-for-Profit Company’ of the Government of India, which supports technology innovators and entrepreneurs to pursue a promising technology and establish and validate proof of concept (POC) for the idea under the BIG grant scheme. It is a Rs 50 lakh grant.

    Sameena Lone SKUAST K innovator
    Sameena Lone, SKUAST-K PhD scholar, discovered a cheap alternative to MS media required in potato tissue culture. The media is being produced from locally available weeds, abundantly growing in Dal lake. The patented idea fetched her a Rs 50 grant to set up a start-up for producing tissue culture media. KL Image: Shuaib Wani

    The grant is a very competitive one. More than 500 innovators had applied for the grant and only 26 were selected for the final pitching round before the panel. Eventually, only nine innovators were selected. “I was the only one from Jammu and Kashmir to receive the BIRAC BIG grant in the present round,” Sameena said.

    “This has helped me realise my dream of doing something creative and something that was not done before,” a confidant Lone said. “Still, a lot of work is to be done.”

    The grant is a staggered process that will release funds coinciding with the completion of the project within two years. There are key milestones in the implementation of the project, which are linked with the release of funds. The next step for this project includes product development at a commercial scale, demonstration trials, marketing at cost, and conducting awareness campaigns to educate people about the benefits of organic and healthy vegetables.

    The unit is starting with four employees and the numbers will go up as per the demand. Anticipated to require almost four tons of weeds a year, the project will fetch Kashmir a reliable tuber for growing organic and disease-free potatoes. Estimates suggest, Kashmir grows 4500 tons of potato a year but the consumption is much more. Sameena’s innovation can help growers use the MS media and pick the tissue culture skill for better production at home.

    Sameena and her scholar colleagues along with their mentors are working on developing anti-diabetic carrots in the SKUAST-Ks plant biotechnology department.

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    #Potato #Culture

    ( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

  • JK Likely To Get US $100 Million Fund For Agriculture

    JK Likely To Get US $100 Million Fund For Agriculture

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    SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has cleared decks for USD 100 million support by International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) through implementation of Competitiveness Improvement of Agriculture and Allied Sectors Project (JKCIP).

    Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, gave a green signal to propose the JKCIP to the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) for financing through International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

    JKCIP comprises of four components which inter alia includes value chain support with export focus, incubation and start-up support, support to vulnerable communities and project management. The project implementation would spread over 7 years (2023-2030) across all districts of J&K.

    With an aim to contribute to the sustained increase in incomes of rural households by improving pre-production, production and post production verticals of agriculture the  projects main objective is to improve the competitiveness of the farmers through a value chain approach with emphasis on export of high value agricultural commodities and development of business incubation centers and start-up support.

    Atal Dullo, Additional Chief Secretary(ACS), Agriculture Production Department said the project is expected to have an overall positive impact on the growth of agriculture and allied sectors in JK, including export promotion of potential agricultural commodities and GGAP practices that would encourage export promotion like GI tagging, promotion of niche crops, certifications, quality control, laboratory/logistic support, branding facilities, marketing platforms and development of an organized value chain.

    He further said that IFAD shall promote environmentally sustainable and climate resilient agricultural practices for the tribal and other vulnerable communities which inhabit some of the most vulnerable landscapes such as hillsides, rangelands, semi-arid and arid lands and rely on climate-sensitive natural resources to make a living .

    With the implementation of JKCIP government is aiming  to capture the opportunities in global trade by tapping the competitive advantage of Jammu and Kashmir’s agro-climatic diversity, monopoly in production of default organic crops (Walnut, almond, cherries), year-round vegetable production, niche crop advantage & pristine climate which catalyzes the opportunity to export high value agricultural commodities, a part of the government’s larger efforts to look beyond the objectives of Holistic Agricultural Development Plan (HADP).

    Another major goal of the IFAD project is to establish incubation centers to undertake skilling of more than 2.5 lakh entrepreneurs targeted under HADP projects, besides giving adequate focus on extension of support for training of trainers, demonstration set ups, entrepreneurship development and facilitating partnership with research institutions like ICAR, NFDB, NDDB.

    The project aims to create six mini-Centers of Excellences with 24 satellite centers for niche agri products and four mini-Centers of excellences for fruit and nut crops besides establishment of three export Hubs and two Business incubation centres.

    Additionally, it aims to establish 60,000 integrated farming models for fringe and nomadic communities and establishment of 200 horticultural nurseries. The project would also undertake GI tagging, aggregation, processing and marketing of at least six agriculture and minor forest produce.

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    #Million #Fund #Agriculture

    ( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

  • Govt Approves Rs 463 Cr Project For Sustainable Agriculture

    Govt Approves Rs 463 Cr Project For Sustainable Agriculture

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    JAMMU: The government of Jammu and Kashmir, giving a huge push to sustainable agriculture in the Union Territory, has approved a five year project on “Innovative Extension Approaches for Revitalizing Agriculture in Jammu and Kashmir”.

    An official statement said that the project, worth Rs. 463 crore, is aimed at empowering farmers and educated youth through technology driven and inclusive agri-extension services. One of the critical outcomes of the project would be creation of 2,000 Kissan Khidmat Ghars (KKGs), which will serve as a One Stop Center for extending farmer oriented services.

    “The extension system in Jammu and Kashmir faces many challenges, including serving a large clientele with structural complexity and functional diversity. Currently, there is a significant gap between extension workers and farmers, with a ratio of 1:1100 and contact intensity of one hour per farmer per year. The existing system is also plagued by defects such as lack of realistic base-level information, poor coordination and cohesiveness among the extension players and a low level of public confidence,” the statement quoted Atal Dulloo , Additional Chief Secretary, APD as having said.

    “The project aims to address these issues by developing a dynamic agri-extension system using IoT-enabled real-time big data for farm-centric planning and resource allocation. This technology enabled system will form the basis for a proactive agriculture extension system with a cluster approach. This approach will use real-time regional analysis of climate and agro-ecology information to promote niche agriculture under given agro-climatic conditions,” he added.

    “Innovative Extension Approaches for Revitalizing Agriculture in Jammu and Kashmir” is one among the 29 projects, which were approved by the Jammu and Kashmir administration after being recommended by the UT Level Apex Committee for holistic development of agriculture and allied sectors in UT of J&K. The prestigious committee is being headed by Dr Mangala Rai, former DG ICAR and has other luminaries in the field of Agriculture, Planning, Statistics and Administration like Ashok Dalwai, CEO NRAA, Dr. P K Joshi, Secretary, NAAS, Dr. Prabhat Kumar, Horticulture Commissioner MOA and FW, Dr. H. S Gupta, Former Director, IARI, Atal Dulloo , Additional Chief Secretary, APD besides Vice Chancellors of twin Agriculture Universities of the UT.

    The project envisages to promote sustainable and profitable agriculture with a significant increase in the share of agricultural GDP. To achieve this goal, the project will establish 2,000 Panchayat level KKGs, revitalizing the Block-level Extension Advisory Committee and promoting Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) as a hub of convergence of services at the district level. The project will also establish business orientation centers at SKUAST-Kashmir and Jammu and facilitate real time problem redressal through cyber extension including RS-GIS driven agro-advisories and ICT based virtual contacts and communication systems.

    The Kissan Khidmat Ghar will be a One Stop Center for farmers to access a range of services related to agriculture and allied sectors. It will serve as a knowledge center with modern ICT tools including a kiosk, to provide direct access to various information such as input supply, technology, marketing, and more. The KKG will be a platform for public-private partnership to manage the value chain effectively and economically. Each KKG will have a technical facilitator to provide end-to-end services to farmers at nominal charges.

    The project will also create a strong MIS system to maintain transparency and accountability in service delivery and information sharing with parent departments and administration. The KKG will function in close coordination with the Panchayat, fostering Public-Private-Panchayat partnership. The key functions of KKG will include execution of direct services in agriculture and allied sectors, input booking/delivery, market intelligence services, capacity building and skill development, facilitating custom hiring services and generating baseline information for policy planning and review of operational schemes at block and higher levels.

    The project will focus on holistic planning and execution of “production to profit” agriculture with area and commodity-specific extension approaches based on agri-knowledge system (JK Agri stack platform). It will converge functional extension resources and approaches for participatory planning and decentralized decision making to promote remunerative agriculture. It will also provide seamless agricultural extension services with perfect outreach and dynamic contact across the value chain and real-time resource person-client interaction. Besides, the project will focus on capacity building in agricultural extension and skill development for generating entrepreneurship and employment.

    Meanwhile, the project will also reorient capacity building programs and promote secondary agriculture with post-harvest and non-farm activities as the primary focus for harnessing better returns. This will include trainings in agri-business, marketing, secondary agriculture and non-farm activities. It will constitute an “Agri-Extension Club” promoting regular online Expert Extension Lecture Series (EELS) and skilling farmers and youth in mission mode for profitable agriculture, entrepreneurship development, agri-business start-ups, employment generation and livelihood security.

    The project will also synergize PPP extension systems and accreditation of service providers at the UT level with outcome-linked incentives. It will establish sustainable market linkages for physical and e-market and promote secondary agriculture. The project will also focus on the augmentation of mechanization, automation and digital agriculture, awareness programs, demonstrations and entrepreneurship in farm machinery services.

    The project will promote research in extension, technology and service gaps, technology adoption, and impact assessment. It will use a bottom-up approach and employ IoT-enabled real-time big data to monitor the impact of the project at the backend. The project aims to promote a smart technology-driven seamless innovative, implementable and inclusive agri-extension service that empowers farmers and educated youth to realize the sustainably progressive growth of agricultural sector in the country. By providing farmers with access to modern tools and techniques, the project hopes to increase agricultural productivity and improve food security while also reducing poverty and promoting sustainable development.

    Ultimately, implementation of a smart, technology-driven approach to agricultural extension services has the potential to revolutionize the way farmers access information and support. By leveraging the power of IoT-enabled big data, the project can measure the impact of its efforts in real-time, providing valuable insights for future decision-making. As a result, the project has the potential to contribute significantly to the achievement of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals related to food security, poverty reduction and sustainable development, making a positive impact on the lives of millions of people, reads the statement.

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    ( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

  • ‘Rice Can Now Be Grown Without Stagnant Water In A Field’

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    A teacher, researcher and innovator, Dr Jameel A Khan’s expertise in developing drought-tolerant varieties has helped address climate change challenges. Currently serving as Programme Manager at C-CAMP, one of the respected addresses for cutting-edge research and innovation, the young scientist reveals his learning curve and the contributions he made to the agricultural science

    TheNewsCaravan (KL): What are the new goals in agricultural sciences for increasing production?

    DR JAMEEL A KHAN (JAK): During the green revolution of the 1960s, there was a growing demand for increased food production due to a rapidly growing population. MS Swaminathan employed genetics knowledge to meet this demand and address the issue of food scarcity. One of the strategies employed was to cultivate short-stature crop varieties instead of tall ones, as the tall ones had a tendency to fall over, causing crop loss. This strategy successfully addressed the issue of lodging and increased food production. As the population continues to grow, biotechnology will become a key area of intervention in agriculture, aimed at meeting the demands of the next green revolution.

    KL: So what is the status right now?

    JAK: While current agricultural yields are stable, there are still major challenges such as droughts, pests and diseases, and post-harvest losses. Improving storage technologies and addressing these issues will help meet the food needs of both current and future populations. Approximately 40-50 per cent of food production is lost due to factors such as drought, heat, salinity, and floods. To address these issues, biotechnology has a significant role to play in finding solutions for these challenges and reducing post-harvest losses.

    KL: Before we go into your accomplishments and research can you offer us details about your learning curves and challenges faced during your career journey?

    JAK: I started my educational journey at New Convent, Gogji Bagh, Srinagar where my teachers instilled in me the importance of thinking big and pursuing my dreams. After completing the 10th standard, I decided to study BSc in Agriculture at SKUAST, Jammu. I then went on to secure a seat for a Master’s in Plant Biotechnology at the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore by qualifying for the national level exam JNU-DBT. Initially, I had intended to follow in my brother’s (Er. Muneer Khan) footsteps and pursue a career in engineering, as he had studied at SSM. However, I decided to forge my own path when I went to a counselling session and ended up being selected for BSc Agriculture, my parents were astonished but happy.

    Eventually, I did a PhD in the same field. I was the sole individual from Kashmir to secure a PhD in UAS-Bangalore at that time.

    I was determined to do something innovative in my research and this led to the start of my journey in innovation. Throughout my academic journey, I faced challenges but my determination and hard work helped me secure my place in the field of Plant Biotechnology.

    KL: What were the key takeaways from your PhD?

    JAK: Research can be as brief as a one-page publication, as evidenced by Watson and Crick’s research on the structure and model of DNA, which won a Noble Prize. This just goes to show that the length of scientific research can range from being short to extensive, like discussions on black holes. The human genome, which can be measured in megabytes and terabytes, contains vast amounts of information that we are now able to comprehend. Similarly, research on genes related to human traits such as appearance (eye colour and height) and behaviour (intelligence, addiction, and even depression) etc., are influenced by gene expression. Researchers are understanding which genes are responsible for these traits. For example, if I wanted to select intelligence, I would look for someone with genes that express high intelligence.

    In the realm of plant research, we divide the phenotype into visual and performance aspects, as we observe how plants perform under biotic and abiotic stress, such as water scarcity in agriculture, particularly in rice cultivation. It takes about 2500 litres of water to produce one kilogram of rice, from growth to consumption. By reducing water consumption in rice cultivation by just 10-20 per cent, we could make a significant impact on humanity. Rice can now be grown without stagnant water in a field, thanks to the research I have been a part of.

    During my PhD, I worked on exploring the phenotypic and genotypic factors affecting plant growth and productivity, specifically focusing on rice cultivation. I developed a technology for root phenotyping and utilized German technology at the ICAR-National Institute of Abiotic Stress Management. This was a major milestone as it was the first platform of its kind developed in India and I made it available to other scientists by not patenting it. My aim was to make advanced technology accessible to farmers at an affordable cost.

    My research also involved studying the genes that express high levels of root growth and analysing the correlation between gene expression and phenotype. By combining both phenotypic and genotypic information, I was able to gain a better understanding of the factors affecting plant growth and productivity.

    I also looked at the impact of abiotic stress, such as water scarcity, on agriculture and specifically rice cultivation. I found that a significant amount of water is required for rice growth and that reducing water consumption by just 20-25 per cent can lead to a big step towards sustainable agriculture. Our laboratory developed a rice variety called aerobic rice that utilizes deep roots to absorb water from deep soil, thereby saving 20-25 per cent of water compared to traditional rice varieties.

    Overall, my PhD research aimed to improve our understanding of the factors affecting plant growth and productivity and to develop practical solutions to reduce water usage in agriculture.

    KL: Is this rice variety being grown anywhere?

    JAK: At present, the government of Katakana has already approved the growing of this rice cultivation. Our technology is ready for any future water scarcity and is proven to be effective. We have taken a thorough approach to this technology, even down to the genetic level, to ensure that farmers can access the aerobic rice variety ARB6 (BI 33) whenever they may need it in the future.

    KL: Does aerobic rice BI 33 require specific ecology for growing?

    JAK: ICAR has a policy of multi-location trials, which must be completed before any new variety of rice can be approved. Recently, Tamil Nadu scientists conducted research on drought-resistant varieties, with BI 33 outperforming all other varieties in the trials. This variety has now been approved, after having passed all tests.

    KL: How does it work on a yield?

    JAK: Despite a 5% drop in yield, the comparison between aerobic rice and rice grown in water is not applicable here. We are instead comparing how rice will be grown using technology in the future when water scarcity becomes more severe.

    KL: Will this technology ever suit growing rice in Kashmir?

    JAK: Kashmiri people rely heavily on rice as their main source of food, and the agricultural sector is always looking ahead to anticipate potential needs and address potential issues. In the case of a water scarcity crisis in Kashmir, science and technology are prepared to mitigate any potential losses in yield. Scientists are always looking forward, anticipating the needs of the future, and this is what drives the research and development of new technologies–even if it may seem out of reach at the present moment. For instance, Elon Musk’s ambitious plans to take humans to Mars or the Moon demonstrate the potential for future technology to make the seemingly impossible a reality. In this way, my own work falls in line with this outlook, searching for solutions that may open up new possibilities.

    Dr Jameel A Khan Agriculture 2
    Dr Jameel A Khan (Agriculture)

    KL: With immense success in your field of research, why you changed your career path?

    JAK: I have always been passionate about technology and its potential to innovate and create a bigger, brighter future. With a background in agriculture, I wanted to be part of the Agrotechnology revolution that is currently taking place in India. My experience has enabled me to understand how technology can be used in the most effective ways, and I am eager to use my knowledge to contribute to the industry.

    Also, the recent initiatives in Agritech and the focus on agriculture accelerators in the budget proposed by the Government of India indicate that research must be effectively adapted and implemented for real-world applications. This emphasis on agriculture accelerators in the budget is a clear sign that the government is actively pursuing work that can have tangible impacts on the agricultural sector, which could have a significant ripple effect throughout the country. We at C-CAMP have been forefront runners in such research and innovations.

    KL: What are the present projects you are working on?

    JAK: At the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP) in Bangalore, we are part of the Bangalore Life Science Cluster (BLiSC) and have three major institutions and top bio incubators. C-CAMP has been awarded the best incubator of India across all sectors, owing to our expertise in life sciences, be it biotechnology, agro technology, health technology, or any other industrial biotechnology. We also received an award during National Startup Day as the best Ecosystem Enabler in India. We feel proud to contribute to bioeconomy in India. We provide the handholding for the latest technologies that a startup or an individual innovator is working on.

    I handle multiple programs, the basic objective is to assess the proposal, considering its scientific acumen, financial theme, and future innovation in technology. We provide a grant of Rs 50 lakhs for eighteen months to help develop a product and mentor the startup with proper guidance for early-stage innovators.

    I work on a programme where we train innovators to find a relevant problem and make a venture out of it. In this programme along with a monthly fellowship of Rs 50,000, a kick-start grant is given. Young innovators in Kashmir should consider applying for this programme.

    At C-CAMP, I also work with the Centre of Excellence in Agriculture with the objective to identify gaps in agriculture. We were successful in handholding startups that are making a national impact, for example, Krishitantra.

    KL: What are the innovations taking place in agriculture? Is there any contribution from Jammu and Kashmir in Agrotechnology?

    JAK: Agriculture is undergoing a transformation due to the introduction of innovative technologies. Indoor vertical farming is one of the most popular advancements, as it increases crop yields and reduces the negative impact on the environment. Farm automation technology is also becoming increasingly popular, as it automates the crop or livestock production cycle. In addition, livestock technology is being used to monitor health and increase productivity through wearable sensors. Other innovations that are expected to hit the market include agricultural robotics, artificial intelligence in agriculture, and the use of drones. All of these technologies are helping to make agricultural processes more efficient and effective.

    The Vice Chancellor of SKAUST-K has been a great mentor to me and has taken a number of new and innovative initiatives at the university. In Kashmir, it can be difficult to get acceptance for new ideas and advancements, but many universities like SKUAST have taken steps to bring about change. I also met the VC of Kashmir University and the DIQA Director, I could see the enthusiasm to work on innovations.

    There are many innovators who have applied for these projects, and I have taken on the role of mentor, as I feel that it gives me a chance to give back to the community. We also have the JK Scientist programme, which helps students to get accepted for doctorates and PhDs.

    I take this platform for productive collaboration with C-CAMP for making impactful innovations in life sciences.

    Ifra Reshi processed the interview

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    ( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )