Agricultural Economics Research Review

Different facets of agricultural economy of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) have been investigated in a broader policy perspective to arrive at imperatives for its sustenance. The study has revealed that public investment in agriculture has increased in absolute terms, though its intensity is lower than of the non-agricultural sector in the state. Also, there is a wide demand-supply gap in institutional credit to agriculture which is more pronounced in the cold-arid agro-climatic zone. Though the road network has expanded in the rural areas, a good proportion of villages still remain to be connected to the nearest towns. The electricity consumption in agriculture constitutes only 5 per cent of total electricity consumption in the state. A decline in the number of cooperatives, poor seed replacement rate, wide technological gaps, stagnant irrigation capacities and shifting agricultural land, all of which have long-term implications for agricultural growth, are some of the vital observations made in the study. Moreover, the inefficient/unorganized existing marketing system deprives the farmers of real benefits in most of the marketing channels. The study has concluded that the carrying capacity of available land resources in the state is poor tosustain human and livestock population.