Jammu, Aug 21 — Jammu and Kashmir Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday urged the youth to find region-specific solutions and not replicate foreign models, even as the agriculture and allied sectors represent the next frontier of innovation worldwide.

L-G Sinha inaugurated a series of new infrastructure facilities at the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), Jammu.

He addressed the launch of the Startup Outreach Programme under JKCIP. The event brought together researchers, innovators, young entrepreneurs and farmers from across the Jammu division.

The newly inaugurated facilities include the Unnati Girls Hostel, Centre for AI and ML in Agriculture, the Centre for Mushroom Research and Innovation, the Advanced Sericulture Laboratory, and the Centre for Digital Media and Publication.

Speaking on the occasion, the L-G described the additions as more than physical infrastructure, calling them a commitment to the region's innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers and farming families.

He drew attention to global examples of technology-driven agriculture, from a dairy innovation hub in the Netherlands that brings together scientists, companies and farmers on AI-based nutrition and animal health solutions, to Israel's integration of data and smart management across agriculture and dairy, New Zealand's digital push in animal husbandry, and a Brazilian irrigation startup that turned a farmer's everyday problem into a scalable solution.

The message from these examples, the L-G said, is that agriculture and allied sectors represent the next major frontier for innovation worldwide.

At the same time, he cautioned the youth of Jammu and Kashmir against simply replicating foreign models, urging them instead to study their own fields, farmers, climate and local challenges, and to build solutions suited to the region's specific needs.

“Today, there are startups worldwide continuously exploring new possibilities in agriculture and allied sectors. The biggest message from these startups and innovations is that agriculture and allied sectors themselves are the next big frontier for innovation. You must understand your own fields, farmers, climate, and local problems to prepare your next solution, and customise those models in your own way wherever appropriate. I believe that different countries have innovated for their own problems, and now it is time for Jammu and Kashmir to innovate for its own questions and challenges,” the L-G said.

He also highlighted India's changing employment aspirations and observed that today's youth in Jammu and Kashmir are increasingly looking to create jobs rather than wait in line for them. He said such a shift in aspiration is central to the vision of a Self-Reliant Jammu and Kashmir.

“I want to tell all students that your degree is not your destination; rather, it is like a runway for your flight of success. SKUAST-Jammu will give you knowledge, but your curiosity will give you new thoughts and ideas. Your courage will turn that idea into a startup, and if you continue to advance that startup with patience, honesty, and consistent hard work, one day that same startup will provide employment and dignity to someone who today is sitting exactly where you are," he said.

“That is why I often say that the truest meaning of a Self-Reliant Jammu and Kashmir is a region where every young citizen becomes an employer in some form, according to their ability and talent,” the L-G said.

He also spoke at length about diversifying beyond traditional farming activities, encouraging young and progressive farmers to explore cold chains, grading and packaging units, regional branding, and digital marketplaces that could connect Jammu and Kashmir's produce with markets in Delhi, Dubai and beyond.

He said that women's participation in the entrepreneurship ecosystem should be the key priority.

“No entrepreneurship revolution can be complete without the equal and active participation of women. And no economy can truly become strong until women are equal partners in it. I do not just want to see women present in enterprises; I want to see enterprises led by women. You must support those Self-Help Groups and Farmer Producer Organizations that gain equal access to finance, technology, and markets. Support such women through your research and innovation who start their own businesses and then, through those same businesses, create employment opportunities for other women,” the L-G said.

On the Startup Outreach Programme, the Lieutenant Governor noted its focus on reaching farmers and youth in villages who may have had no prior exposure to concepts such as incubation, mentoring or venture capital. He said the most useful solutions to farmers' problems are often conceived by those who have lived those problems firsthand.

The L-G said SKUAST-Jammu has so far selected more than 150 students for idea incubation and supported 56 promising startups, while extending its outreach to remote parts of the Jammu region.

Calling this a commendable beginning, the Lieutenant Governor urged the SKUAST-Jammu to multiply these numbers and evolve into a genuine bridge between laboratories and markets, scientists and farmers, and technology and ground-level needs.

“Real success of SKUAST-Jammu will not be measured only by how many students graduate from here, but the success of this campus will be measured by how many new ideas were born here, how many solutions to problems were developed here, how many enterprises were established here, and how many farming families’ lives were positively changed by those enterprises,” he said.

He called upon students to ask four questions every day during their campus years: what problem can I solve, what enterprise can I build, what value can I add to agriculture, and how many families can benefit from my idea?

“If these four questions keep troubling your mind continuously, then no one can stop you from finding the purpose of your career,” he said.

He observed that Jammu and Kashmir would increasingly be recognised for innovation, agricultural entrepreneurship and youth leadership in the years ahead.

“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. I am confident that in the coming years, Jammu and Kashmir will also be recognised for innovation, agricultural entrepreneurship, science, technology, and youth leadership,” the Lieutenant Governor said.

He also felicitated eight startups, FPOs and cooperative/rural enterprises for their contributions to agriculture, allied sectors, value addition and rural enterprise development. Four publications -- “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)” -- were released.

Shailendra Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary, Finance Department; Prof. B.N. Tripathi, Vice Chancellor, SKUAST-Jammu; Dr Amrish Vaid, Director Extension; Dr Anil Kumar, Registrar and faculty of SKUAST Jammu; senior officials, students, scientists, entrepreneurs, representatives of startups, FPOs, cooperatives and other stakeholders attended the programme.

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