Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K) Vice-Chancellor Prof. Nazir Ahmad Ganai on Wednesday outlined the university’s transformation and future roadmap during a Meet the Press programme at its Shalimar Campus.
During the interaction, Prof. Ganai described the university’s progress in four key areas: agricultural education, research and innovation, extension and outreach, and social development.
He said SKUAST-K had improved its national ranking among State Agricultural Universities from 37th in 2019 to third in 2025. Student enrolment, he added, had risen from 2,100 to more than 5,900.
He also cited more than 146 patents, the establishment of 20 new Centres of Excellence, 126 startups launched by students and faculty, and an outreach network of more than 2,000 Kisan Khidmat Ghars together with the Student Rural Entrepreneurship Programme.
Outlining Vision 2030, the Vice-Chancellor said the roadmap aims to position SKUAST-K as a globally recognised agricultural university through quality education, research, innovation, entrepreneurship and inclusive rural development.
The university’s Draft Media and Communication Policy was also released during the programme. The policy provides a framework for accurate, transparent and coordinated institutional communication. The programme concluded with an interactive session between the Vice-Chancellor and media representatives.
The figures cited by the Vice-Chancellor show the pace at which the university has expanded. A jump from 37th to third place in national rankings, if sustained, would put SKUAST-K among the leading agricultural institutions in the country, and an almost threefold rise in enrolment points to increasing interest in agriculture and allied sciences among young people. Patents and Centres of Excellence reflect the research side, while startups and Kisan Khidmat Ghars are meant to link the laboratory to the field.
The roadmap comes at a time when agriculture and horticulture in Kashmir face pressures from climate change, fragmented landholdings and market volatility. Universities are expected to provide research-based solutions and extension services that reach farmers directly. Vision 2030 is framed around that broader mission, though the statement did not give specific targets or timelines for each area.
The release of a media policy suggests that the university also wants to improve how it communicates its work to the public. It follows Wednesday’s inauguration of four infrastructure facilities at the university by the Lieutenant Governor, who set targets of 100 student startups and the extension of smart irrigation to villages.
