SRINAGAR, JULY 2: The Supervision Mission of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for the Jammu & Kashmir Competitiveness Improvement in Agriculture and Allied Sectors Project (JKCIP) commenced today with an inaugural session at Mission Directorate, HADP/JKCIP, Rajbagh, here.
The Mission, scheduled from 02 to 14 July 2026, will undertake a comprehensive review of project implementation across all components, under the overall guidance of Dr. Sagar D. Doifode, IAS, Mission Director, HADP/JKCIP.
The visiting IFAD team is led by Shreekantha Shetty, Team Leader (Institutions & M&E), and comprises Vinay Tuli (Horticulture, Agriculture & Value Chains), Monika Khanna (Start-ups & Agribusiness), Niranjan Khadka (Senior Technical Specialist, SECAP), Gitika Goswami (Youth Officer), and Meera Mishra, IFAD Country Coordinator. Marc de Sousa Shields, IFAD Country Director, is expected to join the Mission in its concluding phase.
The inaugural session was attended by the representatives of SKUAST Kashmir and SKUAST Jammu, Directors of the Implementing Agencies including Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry, Sheep Husbandry and Fisheries of both divisions,, and members of the Project Management Units, with district officers joining virtually from across the Union Territory.
In his welcome address, the Mission Director, HADP/JKCIP, Dr. Sagar D. Doified presented the project’s implementation trajectory and reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to a transparent and outcome-driven review.
Meera Mishra, in her opening remarks, outlined the Mission’s expectations and appreciated the momentum achieved by the project teams. This was followed by a consolidated JKCIP Project Overview presented by Dr. Rizwan Qureshi, Technical Officer, and detailed component-wise progress presentations with a review of log frame output and outcome indicators.
Over the coming days, the Mission will review the Action Taken Report on previous mission recommendations, financial and procurement compliance, and safeguards and monitoring systems.
From 4 to 6 July, two Mission teams will undertake field visits across fourteen districts covering Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban and Udhampur in the Jammu division, and Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian, Baramulla, Kupwara, Srinagar and Budgam in the Kashmir division, interacting with Farmer Producer Organisations, horticulture and niche-crop farmers, agri start-ups, youth clubs, pastoralists and vulnerable households supported under the project.
The Mission will also hold structured discussions with the Directorates and line departments, SKUAST Jammu and Kashmir, the Union Territory Level Bankers Committee, Mission Youth, and private sector partners, before concluding with the preparation of the Aide Memoire and wrap-up meetings with the Mission Director, JKCIP, Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture Production Department, and Chief Secretary, J&K.
JKCIP, supported by IFAD, aims at improving the competitiveness of agriculture and allied sectors in Jammu & Kashmir through collectivization of farmers, support to niche and horticultural crops, enterprise and market promotion, start-up incubation, and targeted support to pastoralists, women and vulnerable communities across the Union Territory.
