Shopian, Dec 15: Shopian, a major apple-producing district in south Kashmir, is set to get a Quality Control Pesticide Laboratory after the Jammu and Kashmir government accorded Administrative Approval for the project.
The laboratory will be established at the departmental Fruit Plant Nursery in the Badam Bagh area of Bongam.
The approval, issued by the Agriculture Production Department (Horticulture Sector), clears the project at an estimated cost of Rs 902.05 lakh (Rs 9.02 crore) and provides for funding through the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).
According to the government order dated September 30, 2025, the proposed facility is aimed at strengthening pesticide quality control and regulatory oversight in the horticulture sector, which forms the backbone of Jammu and Kashmir’s rural economy. The order is based on a proposal submitted by the Director of Horticulture, Kashmir.
The district is one of Kashmir’s largest fruit-producing districts and is widely regarded as a key apple belt, with thousands of households dependent on horticulture for their livelihoods.
“Growers have long flagged the absence of a local testing facility to prevent the sale of spurious pesticides in the markets,” Shabir Ahmad Kullay, MLA Shopian told Greater Kashmir.
Kullay said that the laboratory is expected to help monitor pesticide quality, curb spurious products and support safer agricultural practices, particularly during peak spray seasons.
He said the approval followed persistent follow-up.
“This laboratory has been a long-pending requirement for Shopian’s horticulture sector,” Kullay added.
“Ensuring quality control of pesticides is critical for protecting farmers and improving standards. I will continue to monitor the project to ensure it is executed on time and as approved,” Kullay said.
The administrative approval lays down detailed conditions for the execution of the project. It states that the design and specifications must strictly conform to prescribed norms, with construction parameters to follow the CPWD Plinth Area Rate Schedule applicable to the structure proposed in the Detailed Project Report (DPR).
Items not covered under the existing Schedule of Rates (SSR) or other relevant schedules will be priced through an analysis of rates based on authentic Data Books, subject to approval by the competent authority before tenders are invited, the order said.
Any lump-sum provisions included in the DPR, whether fixed or percentage-based, have been described as provisional and liable to revision based on detailed estimates drawn from actual requirements and approved rates.
The order mandates that working Bills of Quantities (BOQs) be framed strictly as per approved design details and in line with the J&K Public Works Department Schedule of Rates. It also specifies that e-tendering will be mandatory, while explicitly disallowing fragmentation of the project during the tendering process.
The approval clarifies that technical vetting is limited to the grant of Administrative Approval and does not amount to a technical sanction. It also states that the AA does not authorise the booking of expenditure, which will depend on the availability of funds and completion of all codal formalities.
Officials said the project would move to the next stage only after technical sanction and fulfilment of all procedural requirements.