Directs market expansion, organic farming training, value addition infrastructure and floriculture promotion after interaction with progressive farmers in Kargil.
LEH: Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Vinai Kumar Saxena, has announced a series of immediate measures aimed at strengthening Ladakh’s agricultural sector, improving market access for farmers, and enhancing the value of the Union Territory’s high-quality organic produce.
During his visit to Kargil, the Lieutenant Governor held an extensive interaction with progressive farmers, who shared the modern agricultural practices they have adopted to maximize crop productivity. While appreciating their efforts, the farmers highlighted several persistent challenges, including low market prices, inadequate processing and storage facilities, and limited access to larger markets despite the growing demand for Ladakh’s premium organic products such as apricots, sea buckthorn, peas, lettuce, broccoli, and other high-value crops.
Responding to their concerns, the Lieutenant Governor directed the Agriculture Department to implement a set of immediate interventions designed to improve farmers’ incomes and strengthen the agricultural value chain.
Among the key decisions, the department has been asked to constitute a joint team of progressive farmers and market aggregators to identify and explore new domestic markets, ensuring competitive pricing and better returns for producers.
To promote the adoption of advanced scientific farming techniques, the administration will send 20 progressive farmers—10 each from Leh and Kargil—to Kurukshetra, Haryana, for specialized training in scientific organic farming. These farmers will subsequently act as resource persons to train fellow cultivators across Ladakh, facilitating the wider dissemination of modern farming practices.
The Lieutenant Governor also directed officials to prepare a comprehensive action plan for strengthening agricultural infrastructure, with a focus on expanding storage facilities, improving processing capabilities, and promoting value addition to agricultural produce. These measures are expected to reduce post-harvest losses while enabling farmers to earn higher returns through processed and branded products.
Recognizing the immense potential of diversified agriculture, he further emphasized the promotion of floriculture as a sustainable and high-value livelihood opportunity that could provide farmers with additional income sources while supporting the region’s unique agro-climatic conditions.
Reaffirming the administration’s commitment to the farming community, the Lieutenant Governor said the objective is to equip Ladakh’s farmers with better infrastructure, stronger market linkages, and modern agricultural practices to enhance their incomes and build a resilient, self-reliant agricultural economy.
The announcements are expected to provide fresh momentum to Ladakh’s organic farming sector by addressing long-standing marketing and infrastructure bottlenecks while creating new opportunities for value addition, skill development, and sustainable rural livelihoods.
