DODA, FEBRUARY 28: A Capacity Building Programme for FPO members and farmers was successfully organised today at Manwah village- Bhalra, by Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), Jammu.
The Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Doda coordinated the programme held under the leadership of Vice Chancellor, SKUAST-Jammu, Prof. B. N. Tripathi and Mission Director (HADP/JKCIP), Sandeep Kumar.
An FPO–Bank Interaction Programme was organised at Bhaderwah with the objective of strengthening financial inclusion and institutional convergence.
The programme was conducted under the framework of the Competitiveness Improvement of Agriculture and Allied Sectors Project in UT of Jammu and Kashmir (JKCIP).The objective was to enhance credit linkage, facilitate access to institutional finance and creating awareness among Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and individual farmers of the region.
During the interaction, representatives from Jammu and Kashmir Bank, Amresh Kumar and Aankush from Reliance Insurance engaged directly with FPO members and individual farmers. They provided detailed information on credit-linked schemes, institutional finance, working capital support, crop insurance and loan products designed for FPOs under JKCIP and the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP).
Farmers actively participated in discussions on access to finance, collateral requirements, interest subvention, repayment mechanisms and the role of banks and insurance agencies in supporting agribusiness and allied sectors. The programme was coordinated by the FPO Development Officer, Arsalan Ganai, ensuring smooth organisation and effective interaction among all stakeholders.
Officers from the Agriculture Department also participated in the programme and interacted with farmers.
They distributed organic inputs and materials among the farmers operating in Organic Cluster Manwah. The FPO members and farmers highlighted key challenges such as limited working capital, market linkages, risk coverage and procedural constraints in availing institutional credit, while expressing their commitment to scaling up agriculture and allied enterprises through collective action.