 Early Times Report
JAMMU, Mar 16: A three-day Training Programme on FARMAP 3.0 Software for Studying Cost of Cultivation of Principal Crops in Jammu & Kashmir commenced today at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu, Main Campus, Chatha. The training programme is being organized for the outsourced staff engaged under the Cost of Cultivation Scheme (CCS) and will continue from 16-18 March 2026.
The programme was inaugurated by the Hon'ble Vice Chancellor of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu, Prof. B. N. Tripathi, who graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. In his address, he highlighted the importance of generating reliable cost of cultivation data for evidence-based agricultural policy formulation and strengthening the price policy framework in the country.
The Vice Chancellor informed that the Cost of Cultivation Scheme has been launched for the entire Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir at SKUAST-Jammu by the Hon'ble Lieutenant Governor of J&K, Manoj Sinha, on 11 February 2026. He emphasized that the implementation of the scheme in J&K will significantly contribute towards generating scientific estimates of cost of cultivation of major crops and support policy decisions related to farmers' welfare. The keynote address was delivered by Ms. Leena Kumar, Joint Director (MSP & CS), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, who highlighted the significance of the Cost of Cultivation Scheme in providing scientific data for price policy recommendations to the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices.
Earlier, Dr. Sudhakar Dwivedi, Director Student Welfare and Honorary Director, CCS, welcomed the participants and highlighted the objectives of the training programme. He stated that the programme aims to build the technical capacity of field staff for efficient collection and digital processing of cost of cultivation data through the FARMAP 3.0 software. The programme is being coordinated by Dr. Pawan K Sharma, Head, Division of Agricultural Economics & ABM and Co-Director CCS, along with Dr. Anil Bhat, Associate Director Research and Co-Director CCS.
Experts from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare including Sh. Ashutosh Prasad Maurya and Sh. M. B. Khandare, and from Punjab Agricultural University including Dr. Jatinder Sachdeva and Dr. Baljinder Kaur are serving as resource persons during the training programme. |
