JKPCC Kisan Department flags burning issues of farming community in J&K

• Budget sidelines farmers’ distress; Bharat Priye demands top priority for agriculture, horticulture

JAMMU: JKPCC Kisan Department President Bharat Priye today strongly criticized the J&K Government for failing to accord top priority to the farming community in the recent Budget, despite agriculture and allied sectors being the backbone of the Union Territory’s economy and the primary source of livelihood for a majority of the rural population.

Highlighting the grave and long-pending issues confronting farmers, Bharat Priye said that the Budget has fallen short of the expectations of farmers, who are already battling unprecedented challenges due to rising costs, climate uncertainty and weak institutional support. He asserted that a farmer-centric Budget should have focused on income security, risk mitigation and infrastructure creation, but instead offered routine announcements without adequate financial backing.

He said farmers across J&K are reeling under soaring input costs of fertilizers, seeds, pesticides, electricity and diesel, while returns on agricultural produce remain uncertain and inadequate. The absence of a strong and legally-backed Minimum Support Price (MSP) mechanism has left farmers at the mercy of middlemen and fluctuating markets, leading to distress sales and mounting losses. He questioned why the Budget failed to introduce concrete measures to protect farmers’ incomes.

Bharat Priye pointed out that irrigation infrastructure in vast areas of Jammu and Kashmir remains outdated, damaged or non-functional, forcing farmers to depend on erratic rainfall. Climate change-induced events such as drought-like conditions, untimely rains, hailstorms and frost have further devastated crops, yet the Budget has not made sufficient provisions for effective crop compensation or a comprehensive, farmer-friendly insurance mechanism with time-bound relief.

The JKPCC Kisan Department President also expressed concern over limited access to institutional credit, delayed loan restructuring and the growing burden of farm debt, which has pushed small and marginal farmers into severe distress. He said horticulture farmers, particularly apple growers, are suffering huge losses due to inadequate cold storage facilities, poor post-harvest infrastructure, lack of grading and packaging units, weak marketing support and exorbitant transportation costs, issues that required urgent budgetary intervention.

He further highlighted the acute shortage of agricultural extension services, lack of soil testing and research support at the grassroots level, and insufficient promotion of modern, climate-resilient farming practices. Frequent power cuts, high electricity tariffs for irrigation pumps and poor rural road connectivity continue to cripple agricultural productivity and market access, he added.

Bharat Priye expressed resentment over the delay in release of subsidies, poor implementation of farmer-oriented schemes, and exclusion of genuine cultivators due to flawed land records and bureaucratic hurdles. He said the Budget has completely ignored the plight of tenant farmers, landless cultivators and daily wage farm workers, who form a significant yet voiceless segment of the agrarian workforce.

Strongly urging the J&K Government to introspect and correct course, Bharat Priye demanded that agriculture and horticulture be treated as priority sectors in letter and spirit, with enhanced budgetary allocations. He called for guaranteed MSP, strengthened crop insurance with quick compensation, modernization of irrigation systems, affordable and accessible credit, expansion of cold chains and mandis, reduction in power tariffs for farmers, and special relief packages for those affected by natural calamities.

He warned that continued neglect of the farming community would have serious repercussions for food security, rural employment and social stability in Jammu and Kashmir. Reiterating Congress’ commitment, Bharat Priye said the party stands firmly with farmers and will continue to raise their issues at every platform until justice, dignity and economic security are ensured for the farming community of the Union Territory.