Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday underscored the pivotal role of women farmers in sustaining the global food system, stating that without their contribution “every plate would be empty,” while calling for greater recognition, resources and policy focus on women-led development during IFFCO’s Women Farmers Conference in Srinagar.
LG Sinha said, “Without women farmers, every plate would be empty, leaving humanity starved. They sustain the world, work harder than their male counterparts and their strength anchors food security, planting seeds of prosperity for families and society in every field. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, women’s empowerment is the top priority across all sectors.”
The Lieutenant Governor said that the global food system rests on women’s labor, yet it excludes them from prosperity.
He urged every cooperative, government stakeholder to ask, what challenge or barrier in women farmers’ lives can be eliminated immediately? By removing them one by one, we can honor their leadership and enrich society and the nation through direct market access, he said.
The Lieutenant Governor was speaking at the Women Farmers Conference, organised by Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) at Srinagar.
In his address, the Lieutenant Governor highlighted the contributions of women farmers in agriculture and allied sectors, the efforts of women Agri-entrepreneurs, and emphasized developing Agriculture sector under their leadership.
The Lieutenant Governor said that the UN General Assembly has fittingly declared 2026 the International Year of Women Farmers, which was a long-awaited dream.
“I view International Women Farmers Year 2026 as a historic opportunity, proclaiming women as creators, not mere laborers, in agriculture’s growth. Prioritize women farmers in every scheme. I trust 2026 will sincerely recognize women’s roles in agriculture and allied sectors, fulfilling their aspirations,” the Lieutenant Governor said.
The Lieutenant Governor called upon technology innovators to prioritize technical tools for women farmers.
He stressed that the agriculture, horticulture, fisheries, and dairy departments must allocate resources to women farmers, while financial institutions design loan products enabling landless women farmers to access credit in their names.
“We must reinvigorate society with the resolve for women-led development in Jammu Kashmir, enabling women’s power to transform it. Significant strides in women empowerment since 2020 has set a national example and our women farmers empowerment project exemplifies the success,” the Lieutenant Governor.
The Lieutenant Governor exhorted the stakeholders to grant women farmers and entrepreneurs recognition, resources, and agency to work on their terms.
“Empowered women farmers are bearers of climate resilience, building robust agri-ecosystems with quality seeds, digital tools, and market linkages from cooperatives,” he said.
The Lieutenant Governor observed that through Holistic Agriculture Development Program (HADP), Jammu Kashmir advances holistic, tech-driven, farmer-centric transformation for higher production, incomes, and sustainable agriculture. It has registered 14,782 women farmers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched JKCIP on June 20, 2024, targeting climate-smart, market-oriented production; agri-economy ecosystems; sectoral development; and aid for vulnerable groups, women, and youth—registering 5,248 women farmers. PM Kisan Samman Nidhi has over 90,000 women beneficiaries. Over 8,000 women farmers are registered in natural farming and central schemes; 4,472 in horticulture; 128 in sericulture; over 144,000 in SKUAST schemes; 27,500 in dairy; and more than 16,000 in sheep farming and fisheries. Across agriculture and allied sectors, nearly 3,11,000 women are registered, he further said.
“I recognize millions more unregistered women farmers; I urge them to join central schemes. I take pride in Jammu Kashmir’s self-help groups, women-led FPOs, and skill programs in mushrooms, horticulture, beekeeping, food processing, and dairy, empowering rural women as farmers, agri-entrepreneurs, and decision-makers. When women control production resources, inputs, and services in agriculture and allied sectors, they ensure food security,” the Lieutenant Governor said.
The Lieutenant Governor urged the IFFCO to establish farmers’ training centre, multi-facility farmers service centre, sheep production unit in J&K and provision of mobile soil testing machine to support local farmers.
The Lieutenant Governor also announced that the Mass Movement for ‘Drug Free Jammu Kashmir’ for the Kashmir Division will be launched from Srinagar on May 3, 2026. He called upon the women, youth and all sections of society to actively participate in this movement to eradicate the drug menace from the Union Territory.
On the occasion, the Lieutenant Governor felicitated the women agri-entrepreneurs. He also visited the stalls put up by IFFCO and various agri-entrepreneurs.
Javid Ahmad Dar, Minister for Agriculture Production, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj and Cooperative; Dileep Singhani, Chairman IFFCO; K.J. Patel, Managing Director IFFCO; Yogender Kumar, Marketing Director IFFCO, Sartaj Ahmad Shah, Director Agriculture, Kashmir; women farmers & Agri-entrepreneurs, members of women self-help groups and women delegates participated in the conference.
Balwant Singh Mankotia, Member of Legislative Assembly from Chenani; Akshay Labroo, Deputy Commissioner Srinagar; Dr GV Sundeep Chakravarthy, SSP Srinagar; senior officials and Agriculture experts were also present.