HDFC Bank’s CSR programme Parivartan is strengthening agricultural livelihoods in Kashmir through improved farming practices, processing infrastructure and market access, with supported Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) collectively generating revenues of up to Rs 5.2 crore. One FPO has recorded revenue of Rs 1.4 crore.
The initiative, implemented in partnership with ISAP India Foundation and Citizens Foundation, covers saffron cultivation in Pampore, apple and walnut processing, and Kashmiri red chilli farming in Uri. It also promotes SAMARKASH, a brand through which participating FPOs market processed agricultural products with support for branding, packaging and market linkages.
Agriculture remains central to Kashmir’s economy, with saffron, apples, walnuts and Kashmiri red chilli supporting rural livelihoods. However, productivity constraints, climate variability, post-harvest losses and limited access to organised markets often restrict farmers’ ability to earn higher returns.
Bashir Ahmad Ganie, FPC President, Kirmaniya Fruit Fed FPC.
Parivartan’s interventions aim to address these challenges across the agricultural value chain. Support includes solar water pumps, drip irrigation, mulching, particularly for saffron cultivation, and polyhouse farming. Processing facilities have been established for apples, walnuts, saffron, Kashmiri red chilli, milk and traditional bakery products. These facilities use solar dryers, cold storage and other machinery to improve preservation, processing and post-harvest management.
In Pampore, saffron farmers receive support through solar water pumps, solar dryers, improved agricultural practices, FPO development and market linkages. Apple and walnut processing facilities provide infrastructure for grading, sorting, preservation and value addition, enabling farmer collectives to develop market-ready products.
In Uri, farmers are being supported through polyhouse farming, drip irrigation and solar drying facilities for Kashmiri red chilli. The interventions are aimed at improving cultivation and post-harvest handling, particularly in border communities.
Nusrat Pathan, Head - CSR, HDFC Bank, said the programme was working to improve farming practices, strengthen food processing infrastructure and expand market linkages. She said SAMARKASH was helping farmer collectives take their produce closer to markets through branding and value addition.
Tahira Bano, Walnut farmer from Kupwara.
Bashir Ahmad Ganie, FPC President, Kirmaniya Fruit Fed FPC, said processing facilities and the SAMARKASH brand had enabled farmers to process, package and sell their produce on their own terms, rather than selling it raw immediately after harvest.
Beyond agriculture, Parivartan supports alternative livelihoods, including women’s skilling initiatives. In FY 2025-26, HDFC Bank extended its CSR coverage to 498 border villages across India.
The programme has impacted over 10.77 crore lives across all 28 states and eight Union Territories. HDFC Bank spent Rs 1,316.18 crore on CSR initiatives in FY 2025-26, taking cumulative Parivartan investment to approximately Rs 7,492 crore.
Its broader rural development agenda includes improving annual incomes of five lakh low-income farmers through sustainable practices, collectivisation and market linkages.