WE THE PEOPLE
Agriculture Sector continues to remain in doldrums, Presents grim scenario in Kashmir Valley
Hence People urge State Govt, and SKUAST-K to take concrete steps to improve it to meet present/future Challenges
By: Mirror News Service
Srinagar: In our last fourteen series, we have been highlighting importance of Agriculture in the current scenario as it is the predominant occupation of two-third of working population for their livelihood. Agriculture is the major source of income for about three-fourths of India's populations who live in villages' .In the Valley of Kashmir's economy is centered on agriculture and allied sectors. In fact, agriculture is the most important industry of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Even those engaged in other industries depend on agriculture for raw material.
About 80% people in the State are cultivators in one form or the other. The total area of the State according to the 1992 record of India is 24.15 lakh hecteres, out of this area 138, 6867 Sq. Kms. are rural and only 305.4 Sq. Kms. are urban. This signifies that the entire State of Jammu and Kashmir is rural with 6503 villages.
Dependency on agriculture in the Valley of Kashmir is much as compared to Jammu, on account of lack of industrialization in the Kashmir Valley. But the statistics related to agricultural land and its use in Kashmir are not promising .According to recent estimates, in Kashmir Division out of total net sown area of 3.50 lac hectares, only an area of about 2.10 lac hectares is irrigated. The per capita available area for crop cultivation i.e. average holding size is 0.53 hectares and 1.08 hectares in Kashmir Valley and Ladakh Region, respectively and the numbers of farm operating families are about 8.12 lacs. Rice, Maize, Vegetables and Pulses are the major crops cultivated during Kharif season while Oilseed, Fodder, Pulses, Wheat and vegetables are the main crops grown during the Rabi season in Kashmir Division.
.In Kashmir Division only about 55-60% period of the year is utilized for production activity under diverse agro-climatic conditions as compared to Jammu Division. This reduces the chance of cultivating the crops round the year. In many cases only one crop is grown in a year as against two to three crops a year, elsewhere in the country or in Jammu Division.
To add to the woes, in Ladakh region of Kashmir Division, there is no possibility of growing any kind of crop for 6-7 months (September - April) because of low temperature conditions.
In Kashmir region, maize is grown as rain-fed crop and half of the total area of 1.00 lac hectares, is grown on faulty terrains and slopes without undertaking land development works due to lack of funds.
Rice is the main crop of Kashmiris and it forms the basic item of Kashmiri cuisine. But the cultivation of this crop has its own share of problems. In Irrigated area some of the Rice growing areas remain water logged during winter. To add to this, lack of proper surface drainage hampers the growing of Rabi crops, particularly the Sarson and Fodder crops during the cropping season.
At ground level, the Small holding, undeveloped sizable area under rain-fed crops, environmental factors, resource poor peasants are the limitation which acts as constraints to the development of agriculture as compared to other States of India and Jammu Division.
There are other grim statistics encompassing the agriculture and its allied sectors in the Valley of Kashmir. According to Jammu and Kashmir Statistics and Evaluation Department, the total available area in 1993-94 under 'permanent pastures and grazing fields' was 7107 hectares, which has reduced to just 5191 hectares in 2007-2008. The total land available for cultivation of rice in 1996-97 was 17337 hectares in Kupwara, which has been reduced to 15241 hectares. Similarly, the land available for cultivation of vegetables in 1996-97 was 5713 hectares, which has been reduced to just 499 hectares. The available land for cultivation of fodder in 1996-97 was 768 hectares, which has been reduced to just 51 hectares.
Commoners, especially the farmers are concerned about the seemingly bleak agriculture related scenario in the Valley of Kashmir. Aziz-id-Din, a farmer said, "Human communities, no matter how sophisticated, could not ignore the importance of agriculture. We need to immediately prevent the conversion of our agricultural land into jungle of constructions. The irrigated are and net sown area should be increased. More crop diversity should be brought in. To improve the status of agriculture both the masses as well as government have to take concrete steps".
However, on the other side of spectrum there is a window of positivity. As one of the major achievements in the agriculture sector of Kashmir has been that in the vegetable field the seasonal barrier has been broken and most of the major vegetables are cultivated in Kashmir valley throughout the growing season.
The facets related to the agriculture sector of Kashmir Valley call upon all the stakeholders, especially the State Government and the SKUAST-K to take concrete steps to improve the statistics related to the agriculture sector of Kashmir towards positivity, so as to usher a new era of prosperity in the Kashmir Valley.
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