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Vice-President seeks refocus on agriculture

SRINAGAR: Vice-President Hamid Ansari on Sunday sought refocus on agriculture to tackle the adverse impact of its low growth, which had implications on overall growth.

Mr. Ansari was speaking at the fourth convocation of the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology here.

He said: “I would even venture to say that the government of India’s proposed push to agriculture through a second green revolution could start from Jammu and Kashmir on a pilot basis.”

The current share of agriculture in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was 18.5 per cent, services 55 per cent and that of industry around 26 per cent. “The growth rate in agriculture has been a mere 2.7 per cent in the last financial year. Yet, more than half of the population directly depends on this sector.”

Mr. Ansari said that in the past, agriculture was static and immune to change. The reality today placed a special responsibility on agricultural universities to impart training to students on global factors impacting the sector. Vice-Chancellor Anwar Alam listed the achievements of the university which was celebrating its Silver Jubilee year.

Seeking a one-time grant to the university, for its infrastructure development, he said it was facing funds shortage though the State had liberally helped it to grow.

Governor and Chancellor S.K. Sinha gave away gold medals and degrees to scores of graduates. Chief Minister and Pro-Chancellor Ghulam Nabi Azad also addressed the gathering.

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