J&k ECONOMY -Recent May 14

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8/11/2019 J&k ECONOMY -Recent May 14

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J &K ECONOMY SPECIAL

AGRICULTURE IN JAMMU AND KASHMIR.

Discuss the Contribution of Agriculture sector in J&K

Discuss the role of Agriculture J&K

J&K State Economy is predominantly agriculture and nearly 70% of population is

directly / indirectly engaged in Agriculture & allied occupation. The share of agriculture

in both GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product and employment has declined over the

years. But the pace of decline in its share in employment is much slower than its decline

in GSDP.

Agriculture contributed about 22% of GSDP in 2011-12 (Agriculture & allied sector is

expected at 19.46% in 2013-14) against corresponding share of about 28% in 2004-05.

Food security and providing gainfull employment to labour force attracts planners andpolicy makers.

J&K is Agro-climatically divided into 4 Zones.

1. Cold and arid zone of Ladakh.

2. Temperate Zone of KashmirValley.

3. Sub-Tropical Zone of Jammu.

4. Intermediate Zoneof Doda, Rajouri, Poonch&Udhampur.

Irrigated Area41% of Gross Sown Area.

1. Agriculture provides employment to 49% of the total working force in the state.

(Source: J&K Eco. Survey 2011). The state has owned distinction of introducing

land reforms through vesting of ownership right of the state land to the farmers.

2. Growth in Agriculture in J&K:-

Agriculture growth has suffered in the State. While GSDP grew above 6% of last

3 years. But growth rate in agriculture and allied activity is less than 1%.

Factors of slow growth in Agriculture in J&K

1. Low ratio of seed replacement rate.

2. Yeild stagnation from Agriculture sector.

3. Lack of adequate Agricultural research.

Lack of irrigation. (As about 58% of net sown area is rain fed). Inadequate doublecropping- due to lack of irrigation facility in some areas and climatic difficulty inothers places, 44% of net area is sown only once.

4.

5. Size of land holding is small. (more than 80% of land holdings are less than1

Hectare)

6. Access of small and marginal farmers to formal sources of agricultural credit islimited.


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7. Another weakness in the agriculture sector relates to inadequate infrastructure

especially roads, communication and market facility

Potential in Agriculture Sector of J&K,

1. Organic Basmati rice, off season vegetables, Potato, Aromatic and medicinal

plants.

2. Development of commercial floriculture and horticulture and vegetables.

3. Mushroom, Honey & Fodder production.

4. Saffron and other high value crops.

Limitations in Agriculture in J&K.

1. Hilly Terrain (geographical factor)

2. Small and fragmented land Holding.

3. Fragile soil in hilly area susceptible to soil erosion.

4. Inadequate and unorganized marketing infrastructure.

5. Lack of storage and processing facility.

Strategies for Developing Agriculture.1. Improve supply of seed to the farmers. (be energizing Agriculture university to

form seeds)

2. Provide Timely credit to farmers through KisanCredit Card.

3. Development of marketing infrastructure especially for horticulture crops not only

in J&K but also in metro like Delhi.

4. Proper soil and water management like integrated Nutrient management, use of

drip and Sprinkler irrigation.

Agriculture- Basmati rice in plain area.

HorticultureSaffron, Fruits (Apple, dry fruits)

FloricultureClimate friendly & Environment (High valve addition).

Fisheries(Cold & Hot water fisheries) Ladakh cold & Jammu hot.

Some general point on Agriculture

livestock and its derived foods and other products contribute about 6.13% to thisGSDP in the year 2010-11.

The water use efficiency in agriculture which consumes roughly 80% of our waterresources is around 38 % as compared to 50-60% in Japan, Taiwan and China .

The growth in agriculture and allied activities is very important for inclusive

growth. Agriculture influences the overall growth of the economy. Apart from

being the provider of food and fodder, its importance also stems from the raw

material that it provides especially to the industries and particularly agro based

industries.


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The economy of the state is essentially agro based with 49% of working

population engaged in agricultural activities. About 70% of J&K population

directly or indirectly derived livelihood from agriculture.

The National Sample Survey Offices (NSSO) report on employment and

unemployment situation in India 2009-10 for every 1000 people employed, 597

and 110 people are employed in agriculture sector in rural and urban areas

respectively .

The productivity of landas compared to its potential is lowdue to low NPKconsumptionand Indigenous ploughingis the main farm implement still inareas of difficult terrain.

Yield rate of food grains is less than 16 quintals. per hectare based on last sixyears average.National average is 19 quintals per hectare.

J&K State is also deficient in rainfall; Inadequate double cropping- due to lack ofirrigation facility in some areas and climatic difficulty in others places, 44% of netarea is sown only once.

Due to diverse regional typologies, difficult terrain, marginality, fragility,vulnerability to natural events poor infrastructure, only 8% of total geographicalarea is under cultivation.


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Industrial Scenario in J&K

Discuss the contribution of industrial section in J & K economy.

Contribution of industry in overall GSDP is around 30% in 2009-10. This is very muchsimilar to contribution of this sector in overall Indian Economy.

J&K is far behind in Industrialization and has not kept in pace with industrialization

occurring in other parts of the country. J&K has been less attractive for investment due

to political instability & geographical disadvantage.

Industrial growth is more prominent is southern & western India. The proximity to port

has been an important factor in the location of Industries.J& K is more than 1000km

away from any port.

The hilly terrainof J&K is not suitablefor large scale industry. Besides beingdeficiency in minerals many industries like metal (Iron & steel aluminum etc.) are not

possible in J&K.

The state has a rich heritage of handloom and handicrafts. In fact, this sectoroccupies an important position in the economic structure of the state and has worldwide acclaim for high quality craftsmanship, attractive designs and functional utility.Handicraft goods of the state occupy an important position both in the national andinternational markets. Carpet industry is making a great contribution towards foreignexchange earnings. Handicraft a labour intensive sector engaged around 4-5lakhartisans in the state.

The State is a major exporter of superior quality carpets, wooden shawls, embroidericalclothes and many other valuable crafts . Both production as well as export of handicraftgoods have made a substantial performance over the years. Numerically, production ofhandicraft goods reached to ` 1815.33 crore during 2011-12 and export of handicraftsincreased from ` 595 crore in 2003-04 to ` 1643.37 crore in 2011-12 .

The department of Industries & Commerce J&K is focusing on key sectors like foodprocessing, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, textiles, sports goods etc. to accelerateindustrial growth in the state.

But the state has lot of potential for MSME. These enterprises are mostly in FMCG and

food processing sector. Many Footloose industries such as light electronics, electrical

equipment, machinery are also important for the state.

The state has few large and median Industry mostly in state Public sector and central

PSU.


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The state Govt. is tiring to set up industrial intrastate in the form of industrial states.

Govt. is encouraging cluster based approach for industrial development. Eg Commoncluster facility for crickets bat industry at either Anantnag& clusture for woodenfurniture at Srinagar, Silk Cluster at Thandapani, Sunderbani, Rajouri

The central ministry of food processing is developing 2 foodparksat Khunmon &Doabegh, sopore. They provides infrastructure in dedicated for food processing industryin the form of forward & backward linkage.Controlled Atmosphere (CA) Cold Stores arebeing set up in J&K particularly in Kashmir valley in industrial areas. It isexpected that fruit will be stored in the peak harvesting time

One steel processing mill with a production of 40000 Tonnes of TMT Bar Mill/annum and 60000 Tonnes of GC sheets /annum is proposed to be set up atIndustrial Growth Centre Lassipora, Pulwama, by Steel Authority of India Ltd. ata cost of ` 200 crore.

State can have value addition in wood based industry, pharmaceutical & herbals.

Marble, Gems & jewellary and textile are other prospective area for the state.

For speedy growth of Small Scale Industry sector in the state, the Government hasbrought about simplification in the registration procedure. One District IndustriesCentrehas been set up in each district of the state. The primary objective of the DistrictIndustries Centres is to provide all services to the entrepreneurs under one roof.The District Industries Centres are also the implementing agencies for the PrimeMinister Employment Generation programme (PMEGP) for the educated unemployedyouth.

J&K has announced new industrial policy in 2004 that will be continuing till 2050. The

policy touches all important aspects of industrial growth of the state.

The policy provides various incentives in the form of subsidies for all sort of industry.

E.g. 100% subsidy on diesel Genset & project report. 75% subsidy on R&D.

Tax incentives have been given e.g. exemption on VAT & Stamp duty.

The central govt. also provides fiscal incentives for industries in J&K like 100%

insurance cover to industrial unit, 90% 90% transport subsidy 15% subsidy ion capital

investment in plant & machinery etc

Besides central Govt also gives tax incentives. It includes 100% excise duty refund and

total exemption from income tax.

There are few central PSUs in the state especially in Hydel power sector. The central

govt. is providing assistance under ASIDE SCHEME to encourage export from the

state.


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Other important Areas that support industrial development are finance, banking and

transportation.

Rail connectivity of J&K will be important in promoting industrial development .


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TOURISM-Source: - Yojana May 2010.

Tourism is one of the major engine of economic growth in most part of world and India.In 2007-

08 the contribution of tourism to countrysGDP was 5.92%

Total Jobs (direct + Indirect) created by tourism was 9.24% of the total Jobs. In absolute no.

term, the total no. of tourism Jobs in the country increased from about 38 million in 2002-03 to

nearly 50 million in 2007-08.

According to U.N world Tourist organization tourism provides 6 to 7% of the worlds total Jobs

directly and million more indirectly. This sector has a multiplier effect on the economy.

Tourism plays an important role in countrys Foreign exchange earnings. Its share in Indias

export of service accounted for 13% of the total export of service in 2009-10.The number of

domestic Tourists in India has increased to 650 million in 2009. The foreign tourist arrival in

India was 5.58 million in 2010 despite a sluggish global growth.

The Foreign Tourist arrival in India was 5.28 million in 2008. The total Foreign exchange earning

from tourisms sector was 11.7 billion US dollar in 2008. Despite global; economic slowdown that

affected tourism sector worldwide, India tourism industry was stable.

Domestic Tourist are estimated over 562 million.

Reference to contribution in GDP & job created 5.92% to GDP & 9.2% to employment. Planning

Commission in the 11thplan document has commented that tourist is the largest service industry

the country.

It is an important instrument for economic development and employment generation, especiallyin the remote & Back Word areas.Himachal and Uttarakhand are competing with J&K in terms

of Tourism. (Adventure & Natural Tourism).

State Govts are trying to encourage rural tourism. The objective is to revive languishing

traditions by providing Backward & forward linkage. Moreover it will provide a boost in the rural

economy.

Ministry of tourism is working in synergy with other ministries, state govt. UT and private sectors

share holders to bring transformation. Scheme by Govt. Government has taken several

initiatives to develop skilled & managerial manpower in tourism sector like setting up institutions

of hotel management, food craft institute and hospitality education in University Collegescurriculum. Hunar Se RozgarTak - skilled development training for youth below 25 years in

food and beverage sector has been launched.

The Brand Incredible India is being promoted and marketed throughout the world. Govt. is also

involving private sector in this approach. The new strategy is to develop & market niche

tourism.


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ATHITI DEVO BHAVAcampaign is aimed to generate social awareness and to sensitive the

stake holders on the issue of contemporary importance like protection of tourists, good

behavior with then and prevention of defacement of monuments.

Govt. host introduced visa an arrived scheme for tourist coming for fire countries, Singapore,Japan, New Zealand, Luxemburg and Finland .Now it has been extended to six more nationslike, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, less etc.

TOURISM IN J&K

Importance of Tourism in the States Economy:1. Great potential for employment generation, even for people without

specialized skills.2. Potential for geographical spread of employment opportunities3. Provides direct employment to various service providers (guides, ponywallas,

sledgewallas, travel agents; jobs in hotels/houseboats) .4. Provides impetus to allied sectors like handicrafts, handlooms & transport5. Income augmentation of people in vicinity of established resorts (Gulmarg,

Pahalgam , Sonamarg) during peak tourist seasons.6 Capacity to providejobs in the unorganized sector.7. Incentive to preserve cultural and heritage assets..

Tourism expenditure generates multiple effects on sectors like agriculture, horticulture

poultry Handicrafts etc. Jammu region attracts pilgrim tourism; Ladakh region is a muchsort destination for foreign tourist and is famous for adventure tourism. Kashmir valley is

an internationally acclaimed tourist destination for its forest alpine scenery and pleasant

climate.It is estimated that more than 20% of the people in J&K get direct and indirect

employment from tourism sector.

Tourist Arrivals:-

The state of J&K attracted large no of tourist in the 1980s but militant affected thissector. Tourist influx decline considerable up to 2002. Tourist flow to J&K has beencontinuously increasing since 2004. In 2004 the total tourist arrival was 69.12 Lakh

which increased to nearly 95 lakh in 2010. Major upsurge was seen in national touristarrival.

The inflow to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji has crossed the 10 million mark thisyear again.

The year 2012-13 maintained the tempo of boom of tourist inflow, seen in

Kashmir valley during the year 2011. The total number of tourist visiting theKashmir valley exceeded 13 lakh for the past two year consecutively.


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Shri Amar Nath Ji Yatra went off very peacefully and 6.21 lacs pilgrims visitedthe cave this year

Ladakh region also received highest number of tourists this year.-1.7 lakh .Foreign tourist arrival increased from 0.41 Lakh in 2004 to 0.46 lakh in 2010.

Strategy for Tourism Sector :

Infrastructure Development. a)Development of Infrastructure through PublicinvestmentRail connectivity could be a game changer for tourism sector in thevalley b )Enhancing Private investmentby providing incentives .-eg Telecomand internet providers.

Opening up of New Destinations having high Tourism Potential

Focused and Regulated Development of Major Tourist Destinations by TourismDevelopmentAuthoritys--20 high powered tourism development authorityCreated for integrated and focused development .Eg Sonmarg , Yousmarg ,Verinag

Circuit development programme has beem started. Three tourist circuit hasbeen identified

1. Jammu, Basholi, Lakhanour, Sathal Circuit2. Bhaderwah, Kishtwar, SinthenSrinagar circuit3. Jammu, Rajouri, Poonch circuit

Promotion of the States Unique sales point with a proactive publicity Campaign;-Focus on Marketing & Publicity about the tourist destination of Kashmir.Uttaranchal, Himachal & Rajasthan has been highly successful in marketing theirtourist destination.----Methods like print and electronic media ,cultural troops ,

road shows ,promoting shooting of film ,festivals like Shikara festival Srinagarfestival.

Development of Specific Tourism Product areas :- a) Heritage b) Adventure -River rafting ,paragliding ,trekking c) Pilgrim d) Rural Tourism d) Golf tourism etc

Regulation of Tourist Trade for Tourist Facilitation:- Especially in the caseecologically fragile zone such as leh ,laddakh etc. J & K needs to learn lessonfrom the Uttarakhand tragedy. The process of registration of tourist and vehiclefor the char dham yatra was not done . Therefore the state was in dark aboutthe exact number of tourist who were trapped at Badrinath , kedarnath etc .

Moreover disaster planning should also be incorporated in the tourism planning.For eg in case of weather forecast of a heavy snowfall , their number would beregulated.

Capacity building of local youthSkill upgradation in different aspect of tourismindustry .


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Tourism sector was declared a priority sector in the 11 th 5 yr plan and govt. applied amultipoint strategy of fomenting tourism intrastate, promoting end marketing in nationaland over sees market, development of accommodation facility and skilled man power.Road and air connectivity has a major role in developing tourism sector.It is estimated that more than 20% of the people in J&K get direct and indirectemployment from tourism sector.

Apart from adventure tourism, religious tourism, heritage tourism, J&K has immensepotential for Eco-Tourism. Eco-tourism is entirely a new approach in tourism sector.Several terms relating to eco-tourism such as sustainable tourism, green tourism,rural tourism and community based tourism have been emerged over the last 20years or so. Rural Tourism is currently the focus of attention and is beingrecognized as an important instrument of growth for rural economy.

Planners use Rural Tourism,which also includes eco-tourism and farm tourism toincrease economic opportunitiesfor the rural people. In J&K more than 70 percent

population lives in rural areas andis solely dependent on agriculture, new opportunitiesneed to be created and RuralTourism is on the top of the charts on this front.

Since tourism has both forward andbackward linkages and its importance as a creatorof job opportunities is wellunderstood. Tourism as such has emerged as a dynamicindustry in India, thechallenge is totake full advantage of the situation by ensuring bestuse of naturesassets.

The Development Authorities have been established:-

To create tourist infrastructure in new untapped potential areas. To upgrade and maintain the tourist assets at the prime existing tourist

destinations To regulate the tourist inflow in the respective areas,

To promote local traditions, art forms, crafts and culture,

To ensure local participation of the people in tourism activities, especially in

establishing Eco-tourism Projects. To provide incentives to the local stake holders and conductcapacity building programmes for the local service providers. &

Most importantly, to ensure planned development as per land use indicated in the

master plan, to be drawn.


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LIVE STOCK CONTRIBUTION IN J&K EONOMYThe livestock sector has emerged as one of the key components of agricultural growthin developing countries in the recent years. Over 70 percentage of the rural householdsin India depend on livestock farming for supplementary income. The sector is highlygender sensitive and over 90 per cent of activities related to care and management of

livestock, are carried out by familys women folk.Contribute to income of people in theRural areas.

It provide gain full employment to small and marginal farmer and is eco-friendly sector.It also adds to domestic bio-diversity .It is a means of producing food in dry landswithout depleting ground water source.

It is the primary occupation of backward communities like Gujjars, Bhakarwals,Chopans, Gaddis, Drakeas and other rural mass.J&K has 103 animals per sq kmarea . The number of live stock per thousand population 884 which is double the allIndia average of 469. Average livestock per house hold (census2011) was estimated

to be 6while crrosponding all Indian average is 3 .

For a growing human population, the development of livestock sector is indispensableto address the requirements of fat and protein. From livelihood perspective, it isconsidered as an important instrument in poverty alleviation.

It provides the major extra contribution to agriculture through manure, fuel and as afertilizer apart from meat, milk, eggs that grant a regular supplementary income andemployment not only to producers in the rural areas but also huge size of the populationengaged in secondary and tertiary business related to livestock.

The economy of Jammu and Kashmir is still agriculture dependent and is the mainoccupation of majority of the rural people who earn their livelihood from it. Censusfigures 2011 signify that about 73 % of the population lives in rural areas and areassociated with agriculture and allied sectorsincluding livestock rearingas mainoccupation.

It is estimated that livestock and its derived foods and other products contributeabout 6.13% to this GSDP in the year 2010-11.

Integrated Sample Survey( 2010-11) revealed that total livestock population of Jammuregion had demonstrated an increase of 3.80% over the year 2009-10 and reached to75.56 lakhs from 72.79 lakhs. Kashmir region also witnessed an increase of 3.11% aslivestock population had reached to 73.90 lakhs from 71.67 lakhs. However, in Ladakhregion livestock population slipped by 3.03% from 6.60 lakhs to 6.40 lakhs during thesame period.

Estimated livestock Population of the state, as per the latest available integrated samplesurvey (2010-11), is 155.867 lakh comprising 31.185 lakh cattle 37.788 lakh sheep,7.704 lakh Buffalo, 16.748 lakhs goat, 57.195 lakh fowl and 5.247 lakh duck.


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48.47 % that is 75.56 lakh of the total livestock population is dispersed in JammuDivision. Kashmir region shares 47.42% (73.905 lakh) of the total livestock population

The livestock population per hundred personshas increased from 131 to 133during

the period from 2009-10 to 2010-11.

Baramulla , Anantnag in Kashmir division and Doda and Udhampur in Jammu divisionhas relatively higher population of livestock .

Govt. has set upon robust animal health service with a network of more than 2000 veterinaryinstitution and more than 1000 frozen semen centre.

Average per capita availability of milk in our state was 378 gms per day which is higherthan the national average of 356 gm per person per day in the year 2010-11.

Total wool production estimated for the State is 73.819 lakh Kgs which consisted of59.764 lakh Kgs (80.96%) from Cross-breed Sheep and 14.055 lakh Kgs (19.04%) ofLocal-breed Sheep.

latest Integrated Sample Survey Report (ISS), 2010-11, total estimated meat productionof State was worked out to be 308.986 lakh Kgs consisting of 80.30% of (248.105 lakhKgs) Red Meat and 19.70% (60.881 lakh Kgs) of White Meat. The Jammu regionaccounted for 51.45% (158.978 lakh Kgs), Kashmir region accounted for 41.55%(128.368 lakh Kgs) while as Ladakh Region accounted for 7.00% (21.641 lakh Kgs) oftotal meat production.

In 2010-11, the meat availabilitywas worked out to be 2.650 Kgs per person peryear. In livestock production, there is a gap between demand and supply. The quantumof livestock products and byproducts has increased over the years. However, the outputviz-a viz the number of animals is not optimum.Due to mismatch in demand andsupply of mutton, the import of sheep and goat is continuously increasing. During theperiod 2000 to 2010 the import of sheep & goat has increased by over 26 percent. Thestate spends annually an average ` 700.00 crore on the import of mutton andpoultry from other states.

Jammu and Kashmir is ideally suited for dairy activities. The State has registered asteady growth in milk production. The States milk production in 2002 was 12.40 lakhsmetric tons, which increased to 16.09 lakhs metric tons in 2010-11. The per capita milk

consumption is 378 grams per day, which is well above the national average of 356grams per day for 2010-11. Intensive Dairy Development Programme for three districtsviz Kupwara , Poonch & Rajouri .In order to give boost to Milk Production, reducedependence on imports, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme National Mission on Proteinsupplements

Under Clean Milk Production Scheme- ` 376.00 lac are being expende through J&K MilkProducers Co-operative Limited by establishing Bulk Milk Coolers (BMC) in the districts


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of Udhampur, Jammu, Katua in the Jammu Division and Pulwama, Anantnag andBaramalla in Kashmir Division.

Estimated total egg production of the State for the year 2010-11 was 6209.333lakhs and total eggs availability per person was worked out to be 53 (number) per

year for the State .Poultry production has assumed importance as a major agro-basedindustry which provides:a) part-time / whole-time source of earning to the unemployed youth andb) highly nutritious animal protein in the form of quality poultry meat and eggs.

In order to increase poultry meat and egg production, poultry birds are provided to therural farmers for backyard rearing

High yielding and nutritious fodder is essential for scientific and economic managementof livestock, especially cross bred.

Conservation of threatened breeds has two conservation programmes such as DoubleHumped Camel and Zanskari Horse, which have already been taken up. conservation ofYak in Kargil District

The agro-climatic conditions in the state are conducive for wool and mutton production.This is a primary occupation of migratory tribes. The contribution of livestock to the stateeconomy is quite significant and the sheep and goat population constitutes about 56%of the total livestock. The local Kashmiri wool which was primarily used formanufacturing of Namdas and coarse blankets obtained from cross breed sheep; findits way into the market for making of fine quality tweeds, pullovers and blankets etc.

Ministry of Food and Processing Industries, Government of India, has approvedestablishment of Modern Abattoir at Wanihama, Srinagar, at a cost of ` 28.00 crore,


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IMPORTANCE OF FOREST IN J&KForest is referd to as Green Gold asit has great economic and ecological potential

.Forests help in maintaining the soil mantle, improve soil fertility, minimize soil erosion,

preservation of wild life and regulate flow of water in Rivers and streams.

Main source of timber, Fuel, Fodder medicine and non-timber minor products.

Three major sectors of J&K:- Tourism, Electricity and Horticulture/ Agriculture have theirgenesis in forest.

The natural forests are a attraction to the tourists. Forests play an important role inmoderating the climate, maintaining the soil mantle, improving soil fertility, minimizingsoil erosion, purifying the air, preservation of wild life and in regulating the flow of waterin rivers and streams in our state. Forests are also main source of timber, fuel, fodder,medicines and other non timber minor products.

J&K has numerous chain of coniferous forests . Increasing human and animalpopulation is exerting pressure on them.Therefore, augmentation of naturalregeneration, eco-restoration of degraded forests along with increasing their productivityhave assumed significant place in the economy.

Kashmir division has 40% area ,Jammu division has 59% and Ladakh has 0.17% areaunder forest cover excluding Leh and Kargil district . Forest cover 48% of the totalgeographical area in the state excluding Ladakh region .

Per capita forest area accounts to 0.17 hectares for Jammu and Kashmir State asagainst 0.07 hectares at all India level. Coniferous forest occupy 90.68 % of the total

forest area .Fir accounts for 16.81 % , Kail accounts for 9.74% ,, Chir, having 9.02%and Deodar constituting 5.31% .

To maintain ecological balance, the felling of trees is done on a limited scale. This hascaused decline in the out turn of forest produce. The out turn of timber which was102.48 thousand cubic meters in 2000-01, has declined to 69.70 thousand cubicmeters in 2009-10, which has further come down to 37.14 thousand cubic meters duringthe current financial year 2012-13 .The value of output under minor forest produce alsowitnessed a downward trend over the years and has come down from ` 2944.52 lakh in2000-01 to ` 29.50 lakh in 2009-10.

Forest cover of J&K is more than the national average of 24.47%. But is less than thenorms of National forest policy 1988. Under the National forest policy 1988 for hilly

states 66% of the area should be coverd by forest . Fir, Kial, Chir, Deodar are more

dominant in J&K forests .But the contribution of forest to state GsDP is declining as

sectors like service and industries are growing at a faster rate . Moreover the forest now

come under strict environmental norms which has further reduced their contribution in

the overall economy of the GSDP.


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Forest protection police has been set up to protect the forest.

The movement of tress or timber (sawn or otherwise) from the state, for the present,stand suspended by virtue of Honble Supreme court order dated 12 -12-1996.

Extraction and Sale of Oleo Resin is doneto improve the health of the

Chir Forestsunder resintapping, policy decisionhas been taken by the government to reduce 20%of the resin blazes annually from theyear 2003-2004 onwards. 800 Mts of Resin havebeen extracted during the currentfinancial year 2012-13

Government Initiative for Forest DevelopmentThe Social Forestry Project which commenced in Jammu and Kashmir in 1982with World Bank assistance, was converted into a full fledged department with a view tosave the forest from the increasing demand for primary forest produce such as fuelwood, timber and fodder. To bridge deficit of wood, tree culture has been promoted bythe Social Forestry, by way of raising plantation on waste land.

The Social forestery department have distributed, 28.36 Crore plants covering an areaof about 1.631 Lac hectares. It also helps to provide employment to unemployed andunder employed people, particularly the landless agricultural labourers and othermarginalized and weaker sections of rural community .

The Government is checking the illegal removal of forest producethrough ForestProtection Force. The Forest Protection Forcealso protects the forests from fires,stops poaching and illegal trading of wild life. Important wildlife species includeHangul, Snow leopard, Musk Deer, Ibex, Kiang etc. Protected Bird species includepheasant, Monal, Western Tragopan, Koklas, Cheer and Black necked crane. The StateGovernment is keen to increase the protected area network upto 15 percent. Theseprotected areas are reservoirs of biodiversity.

A project named Integrated Forest Resource Managementfor ` 600 Crore,was formulated to address growing problem in the adjoining and Forest fringe villages.The project has been designed for eco-system restoration and for providingemployment opportunities and socio economic upliftment of the stake holders.

The State Government has notified about 16000 sq km as the Protected AreaNetwork comprising of 5 National Parks, 14 Wildlife Sanctuaries and 35Conservation Reserves, which are being managed throughanti-poaching / anti-grazing activities, habitat management, plantation, soil andwater conservation, fire

protection, development of infrastructure, providing supplemental feed etc.

PROGRAMME OF FOREST DEPTT.1. Indra Priyadarshini Vrikshaitra Award2. P.M package Eco-restoration of degraded catchments of Jehlum, Chenab

and Shivaliks.


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3. Comprehensive management action plan has been prepared for Preservation& conservation of Wular Lake.

4. New forest policy had been announced in Jan 2011 for scientificmanagement of forest, conservation of biodiversity rehabilitation of taintedforest and for meeting the livelihood need forest communities.

5. Remote Sensing and GIS projects have been taken up under then

programme.i) Space Base Forest Cover WatchA model study on

Shopian and Pirpanjalii) Environment Impact Assessment of PMGSY and other rural

roadsiii) Snow Avalanche and Landslide Study of J&K.


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FISHERIES IN J & k

Fisheries in J&K were developed and popularized as a sport, primarily for the tourists.During the past few years, pisciculture has been reorientated as a major food resource.Fisheries in Jammu and Kashmir has the potential to grow exponentially as the state is

bestowed with a network of both cold & warm water streams, perennial rivers, lakes,reservoirs, sars and about 250 high altitude lakes spread over an area of 40 thousandhectares. There is immense scope to promote all types of fisheries in view of Statesvaried agro climatic conditions.

They provide a solution to protein inflation that is prevalent throughout the country.Thepresent food inflation in India is often referred to as Protein inflation.

The state comprises of three distinct regions. All the regions offer potential forpromotion of different varieties of fishes.While in Kashmir valley, the temperate zone offers potential for development of cold

water fisheries, viz trout and Chinese carps,

The sub tropical zone of Jammu division offers potential for development of warm waterfisheries, viz culture of Indian Major carps and Chinese carps. The areas of Kathua,Udhampur, Doda, Rajouri and Poonch have the potential for producing trout fisheriesalso in addition to warm Fisheries.

The Ladakh region is bestowed with the climate suitable for cold water fisheries andbrackish water fisheries .But brackish water fisheries resources are yet to be exploited.

It is a valuable element in the diet of local people throughout the year. Besides there is

a demand from tourist and defense personals throughout the year.

The total fishermen population in the State as per livestock census 2003 was around31,000. It is presently estimated at 81728. The 27781 Km. length of rivers/streamsfacilitates farming of more than 40 million tonnes of fish. State has only 0.07 lakhhectares under reservoir area. There are 1248 lakes including water bodies and water isspread into 39921.8 hectares of area which gives an indication of the potential forfisheries in the State.

During the 11th Five Year Plan, emphasis was laid on the strengthening of theinfrastructure viz fish farms, hatcheries and other allied structures besides promoting

fish culture in private sector. The State has achieved a break through in production ofcold water fisheries and food fisheries. Fish farming has been successfully introduced inthe private sector under the Prime Ministers Package and 480 fish ponds have been constructed to provide employment opportunities to the educated unemployed youths

About 15000 professional fishermen of the State derive their livelihood fromnatural water resources of the State on nominal average license fee of ` 400 or 500per annum.


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Emphasis on development of sport fisheriesThe Fishery deptt is encouraging composite fish culture of imported fish species like,Katla, Maigal, Grass carp and silver carp.Two national fish seed farm has been set up at Kathua and Mansbal.Mansbal is a separate fish of J&K. This species faced set back due to dam and barrageconstruction.

Mahaseel sport fishery is been encouraged in river stream and Reservoir like Balal.


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Horticulture in J & KHorticulture emerged as an important and growing sub sector of agriculture, offering awide range of choices to the farmers for crop diversification. It also provides ampleopportunities for sustaining large number of agro industries which generate substantialemployment opportunities.

J&K State is well known for its horticultural produce both in India and abroad.The state offers good scope for cultivation of horticultural crops, covering a variety oftemperate fruits like apple, pear, peach, plum, apricot, almond, cherry and sub tropicalfruits like mango, guava, citrus litchi, phalsa and Berete. Besides, medicinal andaromatic plants, floriculture, mushroom, plantation crops and vegetables are cultivatedin the state. Apart from this, well known spices like saffron and black Zeera are alsocultivated in some pockets of the state. Horticulture is gaining momentum in the state asits contribution to GSDP remains around 7-8 percent over the past few years.

There is a perceptible change in the concept of horticulture development in the state.

There are around 6 lakh families comprising of about 30 lakh people which are directlyor indirectly associated with horticulture. Horticulture development is one of the thrustareas in agriculture and a number of programmes have been implemented in the past,resulting in the generation of higher incomes in the rural areas, thereby improving thequality of life in villages. An income of ` 4100 crore has been generated from fruitproduction during 2011-12 which includes an amount of ` 495 crore from dry fruits.

Apple is the most important fruit. As per the horticulture census 1999-2000, about55% of the area is covered under apple. It is also important in terms of production andprovide the maximum marketable surplus.

Food processing industry offers tremendous opportunity for commercial exploitation ofhorticulture of the State but commercial processing is around 1% only due to lack ofpost harvesting and processing facilities as well as unscientific packaging. Therefore,opportunities are open for exploiting the potential under processing, with individual, jointventure and Government efforts.

It is an important component of export from J&K

Dry frits like Almond and walnut has shown high growth.

Vegetable viability is less than prescribed norm of 200 grams per person per day.


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Area under Fruits in J&K State has increased from 3.25 lakh hectares in 2010-11to 3.42 lakh hectares in 2011-12, showing an increase of 5.23%. The production hasincreased from 17.13 lakh MTs in 2009-10 to 21.61 lakh MTs in 2011-12, recording anincrease of 26.15%. The area coverage for 2012-13 is estimated at 3.77 lakh Ha endingOct., 2012.

In Jammu and Kashmir State especially in Kashmir Division, horticulture plays asignificant role in contributing to the economy of the state. As per estimates, over 6 lacfamilies are actively involved horticulture sector. This sector is one of the most importantemployment generating sectors in the state. Year after year, there is a significantincrease in area and production under horticulture crops.

The overall production of fruit has been recorded to be 21.61 lakh metric tonnesfor the year 2011-12,


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In the production figures, share of fresh and dry fruit were 89.42% and 10.58% with19.32 lakh metric tonnes and 2.29 lakh metric tonnes respectively. Apple ranks first witha share of 81.30% followed by walnut with share of 9.67%.

Diversification of Agriculture in State towards high value commodities, i.e. fruits,

vegetables and livestock products is taking place at a faster pace and is reflected in thehigh share of High Value Commodities (HVCs) in agricultural production in a number ofdistricts.

High Value Horticulturehas a comparative advantage in production and labourabsorption over staple food items and thus is reckoned as an important activity for smallorchard holders. Equally important, the consumption of High Value Commodities(HVCs) is on rise. Agriculture has diversified towards high value commodities lke fruitvegetables etc

The central scheme of Technology mission for integrated development of horticultural innorth east has been extended to other 3Himalayan state J&K, H.P, Uttrakhand.UnderHorticulture Mission assistance is available for a wide range of components fromnursery raising upto creation of post harvest infrastructure processing facilities. Thisscheme covers all horticultural crops which even include Floriculture and Vegetablecultivation as well.

The post harvestloss is around 30% in J&K .10% losses occur at field level, 5% during

transporation, 2% during packing 9% at storage and 4% at processing.It has to bebrought down though proper management method.

Development of fruit and vegetable mandis scheme was started in Jammu andKashmir State in the year 1997-98. For developing 36 fruit and vegetable markets, in aphased manner, at an estimated cost of ` 9426.00 lakhs, with a view to overcome themarketing challenges for the horticulture produce viz. vegetables and fruit,


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Fruit Growers Co-operativeMarketing Societies --The fruit growers of the State aresmall and marginal farmers having smallholdings. The Government has set upHorticulture, Planning and Marketing Organisationwhich helps the small fruit growersand organizes them into co-operative fold, in order tosave them from the exploitation byfruit commission agents and money lenders. Thesesocieties promote direct despatch of

fruit to the markets within the country and help toregulate the supplies within limits tolessen the chances of glut controversy in themarket(s)

Future StrategiesApple Insurance Scheme-Jammu and Kashmir Bank Limited has decided to launch

Apple Insurance Scheme. The initiative is first of its kind. For introducing modern preand post harvest technologies in the Horticulture sector, the Government under public-private tie up with Jammu and Kashmir Bank Ltd., has decided to construct a chain ofcompressed AIR (CA) stores in each district of the State to withstand stiff marketcompetition in the liberal trade regime.

Development of Olive CultivationProduction of Olive is the most extensively cultivated fruit crop in the world. Itscultivation areas have increased in the past 44 years, passing from 2.6 to 8.5 million ofhectares. In India, Jammu and Kashmir alone can earmark 30,000 hectares of area forOlive production.

Provision of Cold Storage in ValleyLack of cold storage in Valley forces growers to sell produce at cheap rates. Themain reason of mismatch in supply and demand is the lack of cold and conditionalatmospheric storages in the valley. Government is trying to provide cold storagefacilities to growers.

For exploiting the potential of horticulture sector, the following need to beaddressed:-

Establishment of Cold Storage facilities to improve price stabilization,manipulation of supply to the advantage of the seller and for better sorting,grading and packaging facilities.

To exploit the capacity by producing products which have value demand andready for attractive markets both in India and Overseas(e.g. bio aromatics,medicinal herbs, organic specialty vegetables etc.). Horticulture department has toact as a catalyst for educating the farmers to change their pattern of productiontechniques.

There are immense opportunities to use apple pulp etc. for making baby foods,jams, jellies, squash, juices etc. Food processing industrial units can be promotedby encouraging private sector.

There is need to increase the scope of marketing for horticulture produce.Development of wholesale fruit and vegetable markets will provide updatedinformation on the prevailing rates.

Contract farming is another mechanism whereby private corporate sector can


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establish linkages between farmers and markets. Most states have endorsedcontract farming. This can be useful instrument for linking farmers to corporatebuyers who can provide information and inputs as per specific crops.

The promotion of organic cultivation of horticulture crops and establishingconvergence and synergy among programmes in the field of horticulture research

and development are required. Programmes on demonstration of improved Technologies such as use of

improved varieties /hybrids, adoption of INM/IPM practices, high tech farming,precision farming, protected cultivation, post harvest technology and extensionsupport in the field of horticulture need to be launched for improvement in thesector.

Fruit and vegetable mandis are being developed at different places at J&K at present

there are 3main fruit & vegetable market in J&K.

Pampora, Narwal, NawpuraSopore.Government is encouraging cooperative marketing society in J&K.

J&k ECONOMY -Recent May 14

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