According to MoS Jitendra Singh, J&K Has a Vast Untapped Potential For Agritech Startups

• ByStartupStory     |    November 10, 2022

Dr. Jitendra Singh the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Science, and Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Space, and Atomic Energy, stated today that J&K has a significant untapped potential for agri-tech start-ups due to the region’s favourable geographic and climatic conditions for the growth of medicinal and aromatic plants. Dr Jitendra Singh stated that the government job mindset is proving to be a barrier to the start-up culture, particularly in North India, during the opening of the Start-up summit in Srinagar. It is important to note some of the exemplary instances of many young entrepreneurs who are seen quitting their lucrative jobs in the MNCs to establish their own Start-Ups, he said, as these young entrepreneurs are now beginning to realise the possibility of greater fortunes in the “Purple Revolution,” which originated from Jammu and Kashmir. He pointed out that the “Purple Revolution,” which originated from Jammu and Kashmir, offers attractive StartUp avenues and those who have entered the lavender sector are making a fortune out.

As the Union Minister for DoNER, Dr Jitendra Singh noted that he had designated three bamboo clusters in the 2020 regions of Jammu, Katra, and Samba for the production of bamboo basketry, agarbatti, and bamboo charcoal. The youth may explore enormous entrepreneurship prospects in this area through start-ups, he claimed, as bamboo products are in high demand both in India and overseas.

In his Independence Day speech in 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for “Start-Up India Stand Up India.” This call sparked widespread interest, and as a result, the number of start-up businesses in India increased from just 350 in 2014 to over 80,000 in 2022 with more than 100 unicorns. Dr Jitendra Singh accorded full credit to Modi’s futuristic vision. According to Dr Jitendra Singh, the Biotech KISAN Hub has revived 40 orchards so far under its rejuvenation of apple orchards programme. A very unique methodology has been employed to convert old, senile, and young, non-productive orchards into orchards that are more productive. He claimed that the new high-density apple plantation technology is being intensively promoted by the Biotech KISAN centre and adopted by farmers in J&K as well. The Minister pledged complete support from DBT and CSIR for the establishment of agritech start-ups.

The Minister emphasised that in recent years, a new wave of ag-tech start-ups has emerged in the nation, solving issues with seed management, supply chain management, cooling and refrigeration, and distribution while also assisting farmers in accessing a wider range of markets. He claimed that “Kisan Drones” could be widely used to advance crop assessment, the digitization of land records, the application of nutrients, and the spraying of insecticides. He also noted that the use of technology has allowed nations like Israel, China, and the US to change a number of agricultural practices in their own countries.

According to Dr Jitendra Singh, in the next 25 years of Amrti-Kal, Jammu & Kashmir, a number of hill territories, as well as the Himalayan States, will add significantly to the value of India’s future economy because they are the regions whose resources have historically been underutilised. These areas would be crucial in elevating India to global power by 2047, according to him, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has focused attention on them.

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