Srinagar, April 16: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday emphasized the indispensable contribution of women farmers to the global food system, stating that without their efforts, sustenance would be impossible. He urged for increased recognition, resources, and policy attention towards women-led development during the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) organised Women Farmers Conference held in Srinagar.
Information was available with The Chenab Times that LG Sinha remarked, “Without women farmers, every plate would be empty, leaving humanity starved. They sustain the world, work harder than their male counterparts, and their strength anchors food security, planting seeds of prosperity for families and society in every field.” He added that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, women’s empowerment is a paramount priority across all sectors.
The Lieutenant Governor observed that the global food system critically relies on women’s labour, yet often excludes them from reaping its benefits. He challenged every cooperative and government stakeholder to identify and immediately eliminate barriers faced by women farmers, asserting that systematically removing these obstacles would honour their leadership and enrich society and the nation through direct market access.
During his address at the conference, Sinha elaborated on the significant contributions of women in agriculture and allied sectors, lauded the efforts of women agri-entrepreneurs, and underscored the importance of fostering the agriculture sector under their leadership. He noted that the United Nations General Assembly’s declaration of 2026 as the International Year of Women Farmers was a long-awaited recognition.
“I view the International Women Farmers Year 2026 as a historic opportunity, proclaiming women as creators, not mere labourers, in agriculture’s growth. Prioritize women farmers in every scheme. I trust 2026 will sincerely recognize women’s roles in agriculture and allied sectors, fulfilling their aspirations,” the Lieutenant Governor stated.
He called upon technology innovators to focus on developing technical tools tailored for women farmers. Furthermore, Sinha stressed that the agriculture, horticulture, fisheries, and dairy departments must allocate specific resources to support women farmers. He also urged financial institutions to design loan products that enable landless women farmers to access credit independently.
“We must reinvigorate society with the resolve for women-led development in Jammu and Kashmir, enabling women’s power to transform it. Significant strides in women empowerment since 2020 have set a national example, and our women farmers empowerment project exemplifies this success,” the Lieutenant Governor remarked.
He exhorted stakeholders to provide women farmers and entrepreneurs with the necessary recognition, resources, and agency to operate on their own terms. “Empowered women farmers are bearers of climate resilience, building robust agri-ecosystems with quality seeds, digital tools, and market linkages from cooperatives,” he added.
The Lieutenant Governor highlighted the progress of the Holistic Agriculture Development Program (HADP) in Jammu and Kashmir, which aims for a holistic, tech-driven, farmer-centric transformation to enhance production, incomes, and sustainable agriculture. The program has registered 14,782 women farmers. He also mentioned the launch of JKCIP on June 20, 2024, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which targets climate-smart, market-oriented production, agri-economy ecosystems, sectoral development, and support for vulnerable groups, women, and youth, registering 5,248 women farmers. The PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme benefits over 90,000 women, with more than 8,000 women farmers registered in natural farming and central schemes, 4,472 in horticulture, 128 in sericulture, over 144,000 in SKUAST schemes, 27,500 in dairy, and more than 16,000 in sheep farming and fisheries. Across all agriculture and allied sectors, nearly 3,11,000 women are registered.
“I recognize millions more unregistered women farmers; I urge them to join central schemes. I take pride in Jammu and Kashmir’s self-help groups, women-led FPOs, and skill programs in mushrooms, horticulture, beekeeping, food processing, and dairy, empowering rural women as farmers, agri-entrepreneurs, and decision-makers. When women control production resources, inputs, and services in agriculture and allied sectors, they ensure food security,” the Lieutenant Governor asserted.
He further urged IFFCO to establish a farmers’ training centre, a multi-facility farmers service centre, and a sheep production unit in Jammu and Kashmir, along with providing mobile soil testing machines to support local farmers. The Lieutenant Governor also announced the forthcoming launch of the ‘Drug Free Jammu Kashmir’ mass movement for the Kashmir Division from Srinagar on May 3, 2026, calling for active participation from women, youth, and all sections of society to eradicate the drug menace.
On the occasion, the Lieutenant Governor felicitated women agri-entrepreneurs and visited stalls set up by IFFCO and various agri-entrepreneurs. Among those present were Javid Ahmad Dar, Minister for Agriculture Production, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj and Cooperative; Dileep Singhani, Chairman IFFCO; K.J. Patel, Managing Director IFFCO; Yogender Kumar, Marketing Director IFFCO; Sartaj Ahmad Shah, Director Agriculture, Kashmir; women farmers and agri-entrepreneurs; members of women self-help groups; and women delegates. Balwant Singh Mankotia, Member of Legislative Assembly from Chenani; Akshay Labroo, Deputy Commissioner Srinagar; Dr GV Sundeep Chakravarthy, SSP Srinagar; senior officials; and agriculture experts also attended the conference.
The Chenab Times News Desk