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| J&K's Agri disaster is out, NITI puts J&K on 27th rank | | Farmers in distress | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
Early Times Report
Jammu, Dec 24: The report card of Agriculture ministry of Jammu and Kashmir is out and state has performed miserably.
Ranked 27 in the recent report of NITI Ayog, J&K has gone backwards since the year 2001 when it was placed 12th by the then planning commission of India (PCI). Jammu and Kashmir is going from bad to worst with agriculture ministry's sole focus being adjustment and posting of their near and dear ones. Not even one major step has been taken in improving the state of agriculture in both the regions of Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the Study Report on Agricultural Marketing and Farmer Friendly Reforms across Indian States and UTs of NITI Ayog, J&K has scored just 7.4 on the Agricultural Marketing and Farmer Friendly Reforms Index (AMFFRI). Against 81.7 of Maharashtra, 71.5 of Gujarat and 43.9 of Punjab, J&K has managed a miserably low score of 7.4 placing at the 27th rank among the 30 states. And if the way state has the habit of interpreting the scores, J&K is 4rth from the bottom.
This index has been constructed to compare the status of reforms in agriculture sector across states and UTs. The index is based on actions taken by each state and UT to (I) reform the system of agriculture marketing, (ii) facilitate and liberalise lease in and lease out of agricultural land, and (iii) liberalization of regulation on felling and transit of trees grown on private land. Market reforms aimed to promote competition, efficiency, transparency, removal of regulatory restrictions having adverse effect on producers, modernisation of marketing and creation of healthy trading environment have also been included in this index.
These reforms indicate the ease of doing agribusiness and range of choices and options granted to producers to sell their produce. NITI Ayog found out that J&K was lagging behind seriously. It has not amended the Agriculture Produce Marketing Act (Regulation) Act- 1997 for the reasons best known to it. It could have taken-up the Agricultural produce market committee (APMC) act-2003 from the union government and implemented it in the state but it has not done so.
It could have amended the act and brought it at par with the act which has been enforced across the country. There is no provision of setting up market in the private sector. There is no provision of direct marketing in the act nor has the same been notified. Farmer-consumer market is yet to become a reality in Jammu and Kashmir. This could have ensured farmers to sell their produce directly in the market to the consumers but since the provision is not there in the act, consumers have no option but to buy the same from the retailer.
Though contract farming has been introduced but the same is yet to be strengthened across the state. Contract farming involves agricultural production being carried out on the basis of an agreement between the buyer and farm producers. Sometimes it involves the buyer specifying the quality required and the price, with the farmer agreeing to deliver at a future date. J&K neither has provision in the act nor has notified the same.
Despite vehement claims, state government has done little or nothing towards making sure that e-trading becomes a reality. Single point levy in market which has potential of changing the fortunes of the farmers of Jammu and Kashmir has neither ever been thought nor planned by those who have headed the agriculture department during their respective tenures. Single trader license is also a concept which has failed to impress the planners in Jammu and Kashmir.
Fruits and vegetable continue to be out of the Agriculture Produce Marketing Act (Regulation) Act 1997. Jammu and Kashmir is yet to join electronic National Agriculture Market (e-NAM). J&K has strictly put restrictions on felling of trees besides banning leasing of land. State has preferred issuing handouts and boosting too much over taking practical steps towards making Jammu and Kashmir an agriculture state of the country. |
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