Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo today conducted an extensive review of the progress, impact, and implementation status of all 29 schemes under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP) across the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.
The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary, Agriculture Production Department (APD); Managing Director, J&K Bank; Managing Director, HADP; Deputy Commissioners; and Heads of Departments from the Agriculture sector.
During the review, the Chief Secretary took detailed stock of district-wise achievements, urging the concerned departments and Deputy Commissioners to maintain momentum and avoid any slackness that could jeopardize the gains made so far. He directed the MD, HADP to maintain close coordination with HoDs and DCs to ensure timely achievement of annual targets.
He observed that the five-year HADP has the potential to transform J&K’s agriculture and horticulture sectors into sustainable, reliable, and highly profitable ventures, thereby enhancing farmer incomes, generating youth employment, and unlocking the region’s full agri-horti potential. He stressed the need for a “whole-of-government” approach to achieve the ambitious goals within stipulated timelines.
Providing an update on the programme’s progress, Principal Secretary, APD, Shailendra Kumar revealed that a substantial increase in farmer participation had been registered recently. Since the last review in January 2025, farmer registrations have surged by 35% to over 3.01 lakh, while total applications have risen by 33% to 4.92 lakh. Of these, 3.48 lakh applications have been approved marking a 24% increase, he added.
Highlighting key schemes attracting the highest farmer engagement, MD HADP, Sandeep Kumar informed the meeting that the Farm Mechanization and Automation initiative leads with 74,448 approvals, modernizing agricultural practices across the UT. The Fodder Resource Development component has secured 36,129 approvals, while the Vegetable/Exotic Vegetable Promotion scheme has garnered 33,202 approvals reflecting the growing interest in high-value crops, he revealed.
The “DakshKisan” skilling programme continues to register impressive results, with July 2025 recording the second-highest monthly registrations since inception. Over 2.35 lakh farmers have enrolled in courses, with nearly 1.95 lakh formally trained and 2.81 lakh courses successfully completed.
The meeting was also apprised of new initiatives aimed at ensuring the programme’s long-term sustainability. These includes end-to-end Project Tracking System to monitor progress from pre-establishment to completion stage, enabling Field Level Officers to streamline approvals and subsidy disbursements. The OTA R&D tracking, was said to monitor research and development activities under HADP.
Regarding the expansion of Kisan Sathi Portal to integrate CAPEX schemes such as Integrated Dairy, Sheep, and Poultry Development Programmes it was given out that these would offer a unified platform for applications, their monitoring, and analytics simultaneously. The portal has already onboarded 32 activities and received over 21,000 applications, the meeting was apprised.
About the HADP it is noteworthy to mention that the programme is a comprehensive initiative to modernize and revitalize the agriculture sector in Jammu & Kashmir. Through farmer skilling, financial assistance, technology integration, and market linkages, HADP seeks to drive sustainable development, boost productivity, and enhance rural livelihoods across the UT.