Chief Secretary inaugurates SKUAST-J industry startup outreach programme

Jammu, Mar 2: Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu Monday organized a landmark Industry–Startup Outreach Programme under the Competitiveness Improvement of Agriculture and Allied Sectors Project (JKCIP) here.
Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, inaugurated the event.
The programme, attended by the senior government officials, industry leaders, startups, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), academicians and students, was aimed at to strengthen the industry–academia–startup linkages in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.
The event was attended by Vice Chancellor, SKUAST-Jammu, Professor B.N. Tripathi, Mission Director, JKCIP/HADP, Sandeep Kumar (IFS), statutory officers of the university, representatives of different institutions including IIIM Jammu, IIT Jammu, IIM Jammu, industry experts, UTLBC, J&K Bank, District Industries Centre (DIC) Jammu, startups and FPOs.
The Chief Secretary highlighted the need for FPOs to move beyond aggregation towards enterprise-oriented models centered on processing, packaging, branding and value addition to significantly enhance farmers’ incomes.
Atal Dulloo elaborated 4 Cs: culture, capacity building, commercialization and connectivity for success of startups. He reiterated the government’s commitment towards improving the ease of doing business in agriculture, strengthening startup ecosystems and ensuring timely and affordable credit through strong banking partnerships.
Appreciating the proactive initiatives of SKUAST-Jammu and the Mission Directorate JKCIP, the Chief Secretary stressed that despite J&K being a major producer of wool, trout fisheries, floriculture and medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs), processing remains limited and requires focused attention.
Atal Dulloo expressed hope that the outreach programme would evolve into a sustained partnership model, positioning Jammu and Kashmir as a vibrant agri-entrepreneurship hub under initiatives such as JKCIP, HADP and Mission YUVA, contributing to the vision of Viksit Bharat.
Vice Chancellor Professor B.N. Tripathi detailed that holding the event outside the campus was both strategic and symbolic, reflecting the evolving role of universities as drivers of entrepreneurship and regional economic growth beyond teaching and research. He highlighted key milestones in industry engagement, including establishment of the Bayer Learning Centre and introduction of Professors of Practice from industry to bring real-world expertise into academics.
The Vice Chancellor informed that over 120 startup ideas have been incubated in agriculture and allied sectors, with more than 32 receiving funding from the Ministry for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India. However, he emphasized that funding alone is insufficient and stressed the need for structured mentorship during scaling, compliance and commercialisation phases. He urged the industry partners to support startups through mentorship, contract research, joint product development, pilot trials, technology validation and integration into established supply chains.
Dr. S.K. Gupta, Director Research, SKUAST-Jammu, presented the vote of thanks while Dr. Sanjay Guleria, Dean, Faculty of Basic Sciences, briefed them about the programme.
Meanwhile, two panel discussions were conducted during the programme, involving the representatives from different institutions.