Valley can help cut flower import

Samaan Lateef

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, December 19

With suitable agro-climatic conditions for production of temperate bulbous flowers, the Kashmir valley is likely to reduce to half India’s import of flowers from other countries in next five years.

To minimise the imports, officials said Kashmir would see involvement of youth in flower production in rural areas. Notably, the Valley has advantage over other states in flower production as the region falls in a temperate zone.

“We have carved a niche in bulb production. In the next five years, we should be in a position to bring down the country’s flower imports by 50 per cent,” said Dr Nasir Masoodi, principal investigator, Sher-i-Kashmir University of Agriculture Sciences and Technology (SKUAST).

Quoting official figures, Masoodi said India imports 1.5 crore bulbs of lilium, 12 lakh tulips, and 5 lakh other temperate flowers annually. As many as 5 lakh flowers are planted in Kashmir’s tulip garden on the foothills of Zabarwan Hills in Srinagar.

Masoodi said the SKUAST would start the production of lilium, tulips, hyacinth and other temperate flowers in April in Pulwama, Ganderbal, and Kupwara districts.

To grow flowers on a commercial scale, the SKUAST is going to train youth on farming of tulip and hyacinth bulbs from next month.

While the plains of the country can’t produce the tulips, Masoodi says Kashmir has the suitable temperature for the production and propagation of the temperate ornamental bulbs, including tulips.