The recent launch of the ‘mini Tulip Garden’ at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Pulwama contains more than one lakh tulip bulbs is one of the significant initiatives in floriculture development and boosting of the sector.
The opening of colourful tulips, presented by CSIR – Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM) at its Field Station at Bonera, Pulwama, adds not only an aesthetic appeal to the region but also skilfully directs economic development through floriculture and tourism in Jammu & Kashmir.
Kashmir, another name for ‘Paradise on Earth’, has spectacular landscapes and floral landscapes. The most prominent Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden in Srinagar has already put that region on the world horticultural map. The mini-tulip garden constructed in Pulwama would be a good extension of the ideal.
By promoting scientific cultivation and moving diversification in floriculture from Srinagar, it creates opportunities for farmers and entrepreneurs in the community.
There are many benefits of this project. The first is a strengthening of the floriculture sector by introducing high-value commercial floricultural products such as tulips into domestic and export markets. The second benefit is encouraging Agro-tourism, which likely to draw people to Pulwama and have the ancillary effect of other business making associated profit.
The project would also be a research and training centre to develop new and modern production practices that farmers would replicate in their fields. The project also aligns with a larger national initiative dubbed ‘Doubling Farmers’ Income’; diversification is needed for commercial income crops.
Specifically, under floriculture conditions, planted area is small, and farmer returns are high; an ideal, perhaps the only feasible, project for small and marginal farmers in the Valley.
However, to stay the course of desired progress there needs to be continued delivery of support from the state and research institutes with respect to bulb subsidies, training institutes, and potentially market linkage.
In addition, a coupled, facilitated ties to the tourism campaign for Kashmir would have much greater effect on attracting customers during the bloom time.
The CSIR-IIIM Tulip Show will cement this balance – in science and agriculture for economic growth. The fields of Pulwama are exploding with colours. One hopes this is the start of a vibrant floriculture revolution in the area.
