Agriculture Emerging as Jammu Kashmir’s Next Frontier for Youth Entrepreneurship: LG Sinha
JAMMU, August 21, 2026: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday inaugurated a series of new infrastructure facilities at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST)-Jammu and launched the Startup Outreach Programme under JKCIP, calling agriculture and allied sectors the next major frontier for innovation, entrepreneurship and youth-led economic growth.
The event brought together researchers, innovators, young entrepreneurs, farmers and students from across the Jammu division and highlighted the growing role of technology and entrepreneurship in transforming the region’s agricultural economy.
The newly inaugurated facilities include the Unnati Girls Hostel, Centre for AI and Machine Learning in Agriculture, Centre for Mushroom Research and Innovation, Advanced Sericulture Laboratory and Centre for Digital Media and Publication.
Describing the facilities as more than physical infrastructure, Sinha said they represented a commitment to the region’s researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs and farming communities.
The Lieutenant Governor cited examples from countries that have used technology and innovation to address agricultural challenges, including AI-based solutions in dairy farming, smart agricultural management, digital animal husbandry and technology-driven irrigation. He, however, cautioned young innovators against merely replicating foreign models and urged them to develop solutions based on Jammu Kashmir’s own agricultural conditions, climate, farmers and local challenges.
“Different countries have innovated for their own problems, and now it is time for Jammu Kashmir to innovate for its own questions and challenges,” Sinha said, stressing the need to adapt global experiences to local requirements.
He observed that agriculture and allied sectors were rapidly emerging as a major global frontier for startups and innovation, offering significant opportunities for young people in areas ranging from technology and processing to marketing and value addition.
Highlighting the changing aspirations of India’s youth, Sinha said young people in Jammu Kashmir were increasingly seeking to become job creators rather than job seekers. He described this shift as central to the vision of a self-reliant Jammu Kashmir.
“Your degree is not your destination; rather, it is like a runway for your flight of success,” the Lieutenant Governor told students, urging them to combine knowledge with curiosity, courage, patience and sustained hard work to turn ideas into viable enterprises.
He said the true meaning of a self-reliant Jammu Kashmir would be realised when young people, according to their abilities and talent, became employers and contributors to economic growth.
Sinha also called for greater diversification of traditional agriculture through cold-chain facilities, grading and packaging units, regional branding and digital marketplaces capable of connecting local produce with major national and international markets.
Emphasising the importance of women’s participation in entrepreneurship, the Lieutenant Governor said no entrepreneurship revolution could be complete without women playing an equal and active role.
“I do not just want to see women present in enterprises; I want to see enterprises led by women,” he said, calling for greater support to women-led Self-Help Groups and Farmer Producer Organisations through access to finance, technology, markets, research and innovation.
On the Startup Outreach Programme, Sinha said its objective was to take the culture of incubation, mentoring and entrepreneurship beyond university campuses and reach young people and farmers in rural and remote areas who may have had little exposure to the startup ecosystem.
He noted that many practical solutions could emerge from people who had experienced agricultural problems themselves and understood the challenges faced by farmers on the ground.
According to the Lieutenant Governor, SKUAST-Jammu has so far selected more than 150 students for idea incubation and supported 56 promising startups. He urged the university to expand these efforts and evolve into a stronger bridge between laboratories and markets, scientists and farmers, and technology and grassroots needs.
“The real success of SKUAST-Jammu will not be measured only by how many students graduate from here, but by how many new ideas are born here, how many solutions are developed, how many enterprises are established and how many farming families’ lives are positively changed,” Sinha said.
He urged students to regularly ask themselves four questions: what problem they could solve, what enterprise they could build, what value they could add to agriculture and how many families could benefit from their ideas.
The Lieutenant Governor expressed confidence that Jammu Kashmir would increasingly gain recognition for innovation, agricultural entrepreneurship, science, technology and youth leadership.
“Do not make your dreams small. Do not let your circumstances become the limits of your future. Draw strength from your roots, direction from knowledge, speed from technology, and create new paths with your resolve,” he told the students.
During the programme, Sinha felicitated eight startups, FPOs and cooperative and rural enterprises for their contribution to agriculture, allied sectors, value addition and rural enterprise development.
Four publications were also released, including the Policy Document for Promoting Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in J&K, Chronicle of Innovation & Startups under RKVY-RAFTAAR, SKUAST-Jammu, Value on the Vine: Economic and Market Dynamics of Vegetables and Student’s Rural Exploration Programme (SREP).
Additional Chief Secretary, Finance Department, Shailendra Kumar; Vice Chancellor SKUAST-Jammu Prof. B.N. Tripathi; Director Extension Dr. Amrish Vaid; Registrar Dr. Anil Kumar; faculty members, senior officials, students, scientists, entrepreneurs and representatives of startups, FPOs, cooperatives and other stakeholders attended the event.
