Srinagar, Jul 29: In a push to strengthen farmer-led enterprises and promote market-oriented rural entrepreneurship, the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu (SKUAST-J) concluded a three-day capacity-building programme aimed at equipping agripreneurs with the skills needed to build sustainable agribusiness models.
Organised by Krishi Branding Centre (KBC) of SKUAST-J Agri Business Incubation (ABI) Foundation under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP), the training brought together agripreneurs, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), Rural Business Service Hubs (RBSHs), Self Help Groups (SHGs), progressive farmers and rural youth for intensive sessions on enterprise development, branding and strategic business planning.
The programme forms part of Project-04: Strengthening Agricultural Marketing in Jammu and Kashmir, a flagship component of HADP that seeks to improve value addition, market access and entrepreneurship in the Union Territory’s agriculture sector.
Addressing participants, Prof. Jyoti Kachroo, Director, SKUAST-J ABI Foundation and Principal Investigator of Krishi Branding Centre, highlighted the role of institutional support, branding and incubation in transforming farmer groups into viable enterprises.
In a significant outcome of the programme, the Krishi Branding Centre signed three Memoranda of Agreement (MoAs) with emerging agribusiness enterprises, signalling a move towards stronger industry-academia collaboration and business incubation support.
The programme concluded with the distribution of certificates to participants. SKUAST-J said the Krishi Branding Centre, working in collaboration with the Agri Business Incubation Centre, will continue to promote innovation-led entrepreneurship through branding, technology transfer, commercialisation and market integration to strengthen Jammu and Kashmir’s agribusiness ecosystem.
