MUZAFFARABAD: More than 1,225 kanals of land belonging to the agriculture and livestock and dairy development departments in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) have over the years been transferred to other government institutions, significantly affecting the functioning of the two sectors, according to an official summary prepared for the region’s prime minister.

The departments have requested the government to allot alternative state land to compensate for the transferred areas so that their operational capacity could be restored by reviving research farms, nurseries and production centres.

The summary, seen by Dawn, was prepared on the initiative of Secretary Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation Mirza Wajahat Rasheed Baig, who has recently been transferred and posted to this office.

According to the summary, around 916 kanals and 19 marlas of land belonging to the agriculture department’s farms and nurseries across Muzaffarabad, Neelum Valley, Poonch, Sudhnoti, Bagh and Haveli districts were transferred to various institutions for the construction of cadet colleges, universities, hospitals, medical colleges, educational institutions and government offices.

It asserted that the department had been striving to promote modern agricultural technologies among farmers to increase per-acre yield and help bridge the gap between food demand and supply in the state, where a majority of the rural population depends on agriculture for livelihood.

Quoting the summary, Mr Baig told Dawn that while agricultural land per household was gradually shrinking due to population growth and the construction of housing and roads, the department was making efforts to enhance productivity through modern farming practices.

“However, the transfer of departmental farms and nurseries to other institutions has adversely affected the department’s ability to support farmers and expand agricultural production,” he said, stressing the need for provision of alternative land.

The summary noted that the state’s annual food grain requirement was estimated at about500,000 metric tons, of which only around150,000 metric tonswere produced locally, while the remaining requirement was met through imports from Pakistan.

It added thataround 300,000 high-quality plants were planted annually in AJK in the form of orchards, of which about51,000 saplings were supplied by the agriculture department through its own nurseries, while the remaining were procured from research farms and certified nurseries in Pakistan and provided to farmers.

Similarly, about20,000 acres were brought under vegetable cultivation each yearacross the state to meet local demand. The summary said the department produced aroundtwo tons of vegetable seed locally, while the remaining requirement was met by purchasing seeds from registered companies in Pakistan.

It was therefore essential for the department to obtain alternative land to re-establish its much-needed nurseries and farms, the summary said.

Similarly, the livestock and dairy development department has also lost a substantial portion of land attached to its research and production centres in Muzaffarabad district.

More than 300 kanals of land of livestock farms and related facilities had either been allotted to other institutions or had come under occupation of refugees or private entities, drastically shrinking the operational area of key facilities such as the Livestock Development Research Centre at Raru and government poultry farms.

According to the summary, much of the land originally reserved for fodder cultivation and livestock-related activities had been reduced over time, severely limiting the departments’ ability to maintain livestock production and related services.

Before the 2005 earthquake, these centres used to supply milk, eggs and poultry birds at subsidised rates to residents of Muzaffarabad, but the services had largely ceased due to the loss of land and facilities.

In the summary, the livestock and dairy development department has sought 400 kanals of alternative state land, preferably between Pir Chanasi and Pir Hassi Mar towards the east of Muzaffarabad, for fodder cultivation and the establishment of a poultry farm and hatchery.

Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2026