ISAP India Foundation organized the closing ceremony of the HDFC Parivartan CSR P0748 project at Anantnag, Jammu & Kashmir. The event brought together primary stakeholders, including farmers from five Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) promoted and formed under the project across Sangaldan and Banihal blocks of Ramban district, Bhaderwah block of Doda district, Kishtwar district, and Kargil district in Ladakh and government bodies, start ups and other key stakeholders.

The project, which commenced in October 2023 and concludes in June 2026, has played a significant role in strengthening agricultural value chains, promoting farmer collectives, and supporting value addition in selected high-potential crops.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Gaurav Vats, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of ISAP India Foundation highlighted that the project has contributed to building stronger farmer institutions, improving post-harvest management, supporting value addition, and creating opportunities for market-oriented growth. Dr. Tahir Nazir, ISAP India Foundation, J&K State Head noted substantive changes in the project locations as compared to past scenarios and has given rise to entrepreneurship in the region. CA Yogendra Rawat, Consultant at ISAP India Foundation stressed on timely completion of legal and statutory compliances in order to be compliant and self-reliant organisations.

From HDFC Parivartan CSR Initiatives, Ms. Varnika Sharma stressed that seeds have been sown now it’s time to build upon it and work towards scalable and sustainable institutions. The participation of startup ecosystem partners Mr. Syed Inam Ul Haq Andrabi Incubation Manager at Rural Business Incubation Center (RBIC) SKUAST-K, Mr. Mohammad Faisal Bhat from Kashmir Naturals and technology providers further emphasized the importance of innovation, digital solutions, and collaborative partnerships in strengthening agriculture-based livelihoods in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

The ceremony served as a platform for interaction among FPCs, agri-startups, technology providers, and other key stakeholders. Participants included representatives from the startup ecosystem, the Rural Business Incubation Centre (RBIC) at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Kashmir Naturals, Orchardly, and ISAP India Foundation-promoted FPCs from Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian, Kupwara, Ganderbal, Budgam, Baramulla, and Srinagar.

Under the project, 3,000 farmers were successfully mobilized under the umbrella of five FPCs. The project focused on value addition in key local crops, including Anardana in Sangaldan, Walnut in Banihal, Saffron and Apple in Kishtwar, Rajma in Bhaderwah, and Seabuckthorn and Apricot in Kargil, Ladakh.

State-of-the-art infrastructure has been established across the FPCs to support primary and secondary processing. This includes Anardana grinding, dough-making, Anardana goli and stick-making, and flour mill units in Sangaldan; vacuum packaging, walnut cracking and peeling units in Banihal; Rajma cleaning and grading units in Bhaderwah; Apple Pulping Unit in Kishtwar; and Seabuckthorn pulp, can seaming, and lug capping facilities in Kargil.

In addition to processing infrastructure, the project also supported agricultural input and community-level interventions. These included UAV agricultural drones, soil testing units for efficient nutrient management, solar dryers for post-harvest management, and solar street lights to improve safety and mobility in rural communities.

To ensure the sustainability and scalability of project interventions, market linkage efforts have also been strengthened. A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between Kashmir Naturals and Bhaderwah Valley FPCL for the Rajma value chain. Similar MoUs are expected to be signed for the Apple Pulping Unit at Kishtwar, Walnut value chain at Banihal, Seabuckthorn and Apricot value chains in Kargil, and Anardana value chain in Sangaldan. These partnerships are expected to support long-term market access, value chain development, and business continuity for the FPCs.

The closing ceremony marked an important milestone in consolidating the achievements of the HDFC Parivartan CSR P0748 project and reaffirmed ISAP India Foundation’s commitment to empowering farmers, strengthening FPCs, and promoting sustainable agricultural value chains in the region.

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