Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday inaugurated four key infrastructure facilities at the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), Kashmir, and called for using technology and innovation to strengthen agriculture, raise farmers’ incomes and promote rural development.
Addressing the gathering, he said agricultural universities have a crucial role in meeting challenges related to food security, sustainable agriculture and rural development.
The facilities inaugurated are a solar-powered Internet of Things (IoT)-based irrigation and fertigation system, a Prototype Design and Development Centre, the Directorate of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and a Health and Wellness Centre.
Describing the new irrigation system as beneficial for small and marginal farmers, Sinha said it would help optimise the use of water and nutrients while reducing labour-intensive practices and dependence on conventional energy. He said the Prototype Design and Development Centre would promote agricultural mechanisation and help translate research innovations into practical field-level solutions.
Emphasising entrepreneurship, the Lieutenant Governor urged the university to facilitate at least 100 student-led startups within the coming year, and called for enterprises in areas such as seed testing, cold-chain management and soil health services. He asked SKUAST-Kashmir to extend the new irrigation technology to villages within a year, and to convert sensor-generated data into simple agricultural advisories in local languages for farmers through digital platforms.
Highlighting the challenges posed by climate change, Sinha stressed that sustainable development and environmental protection should be central to agricultural research and development. The success of modern technology, he said, should be measured by its impact on farmers’ lives, especially in improving incomes, strengthening economic security and creating new opportunities in rural areas.
On the occasion, he released a coffee table book on the achievements and institutional journey of SKUAST-Kashmir, and launched a Multi-Tier Data Management and Accreditation Workflow System to strengthen institutional data management and accreditation.
Minister for Agriculture Production, Finance, Mining and Cooperatives Javid Ahmad Dar, Vice Chancellor Prof. Nazir Ahmad Ganai, SKIMS Director Prof. Mohammad Ashraf Ganie, Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Akshay Labroo, senior university officials, faculty members and students attended the ceremony.
Kashmir’s agriculture and horticulture sectors support a large share of the population, and water management, input costs and climate variability are among the main concerns of growers. Sensor-based irrigation and fertigation can help conserve water and fertiliser, which is especially relevant for small holdings. The LG’s targets, a hundred startups and the extension of the irrigation system to villages within a year, give the university concrete goals against which progress can be measured.
