J&K Seeks Region-Specific Research for Farmers at ICAR Meeting

Jammu and Kashmir has called for more agriculture research tailored to the region’s specific farming conditions. Agriculture Production Minister Javid Ahmad Dar raised the demand during ICAR’s 97th Annual General Meeting in New Delhi on August 18, seeking stronger scientific support for farmers in Jammu and Kashmir.

The demand comes as farmers across J&K deal with different production conditions, from the temperate climate of Kashmir to the warmer and drier areas of Jammu. A single farming recommendation may not work equally well across these regions.

Focus on Local Farming Conditions

J&K has a diverse agricultural system that includes horticulture, cereals, pulses, livestock and other activities.

The region’s farmers also face challenges linked to changing weather, water availability, pests and crop diseases. Research that takes local conditions into account can help develop varieties and farming practices better suited to individual districts.

Dar’s request for J&K-specific research places emphasis on solutions developed around the needs of local farmers rather than relying only on recommendations developed for other parts of India.

Agriculture Research Can Help Horticulture

Horticulture is an important part of Jammu and Kashmir’s farm economy, particularly in Kashmir.

Apples, walnuts, almonds, cherries and other fruit crops require specific climatic conditions. Changes in temperature and rainfall can affect flowering, fruit development and pest pressure.

Region-specific research could help farmers respond to these changes through improved varieties, better orchard management and climate-adaptive practices.

Research on kiwi is another area where J&K could benefit from local testing, particularly as farmers explore diversification into high-value fruit crops.

Need for Farmer-Focused Technology

Research is useful only when farmers can access and apply the resulting technology.

J&K needs varieties, machinery, irrigation practices and crop advisories that match its terrain and farm sizes. Mountainous areas can also require different machinery and cultivation methods from plains.

The call for stronger ICAR support could help connect national agricultural research with the specific problems faced by farmers in the Union Territory.

The J&K request comes as ICAR itself is placing greater emphasis on farmer-focused and demand-driven research.

At its 97th AGM, ICAR highlighted the need for research that responds to farmers, markets and consumers. The council also reported the release of 386 new crop varieties, with 94% carrying climate-resilient traits.

This approach could create more opportunities for states and Union Territories to seek research around their own agricultural priorities.

What It Could Mean for J&K Farmers

The key question now is how the request translates into field-level research.

J&K could benefit from more trials of climate-resilient crop varieties, locally suitable horticulture technologies, improved livestock systems and farm machinery designed for hill agriculture.

Stronger links between ICAR institutes, SKUAST and farmers could also help test technologies under local conditions before recommending them for wider adoption.

For J&K farmers, region-specific research could mean better solutions for the problems they actually face in their fields and orchards. The next step will be turning the demand raised at the ICAR meeting into research programmes, field trials and technologies that farmers can use.