<span style="color: #222222;">In Jammu and Kashmir, the Administrative Council under the chairmanship of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had sanctioned the implementation of 29 projects with an outlay of Rs 5013 crores over the next five years in order to transform the agricultural economy.<br />''<br />''AIR correspondent reports that Agriculture and Allied Sectors contribute over 18 percent of GDP, representing Rs. 37,600 crores per year and provide a livelihood to more than 13 lakh families in J&K. Over past decades, the agriculture and allied sectors in J&K have been the mainstay of the rural economy however, the UT has been following a subsistence type of agriculture which has increasingly been facing the challenges of low productivity, shrinking farmer margins, unsustainability, climate change and lack of competitiveness when compared to produce from within and outside the country.<br />''<br />''These newly sanctioned 29 projects based on the principles of economy, equity and ecology shall transform the agricultural economy of J&K putting it on a new trajectory of growth, by doubling the output of the sector, boosting exports and making the sector sustainable and commercially viable. The agricultural output which stands at Rs 37,600 crores is expected to increase by over Rs 28,142 crores to reach more than Rs 65,700 crores per year. The interventions are expected to create employment opportunities for over 2.8 lakh youth and establish around 19,000 enterprises. Meanwhile, more than 2.5 lakh persons shall be skilled in various agri-enterprises and over the next five years, the UT shall have a motivated workforce with agri-entrepreneurial skills in a commercially viable and ecologically sustainable agri-ecosystem.</span><br />