Srinagar, May 25: The Agriculture Department Kashmir is mulling to revive the traditional rice variety Mushq budij and expand its horizon in Budgam and Kulgam districts.
Suhail Inamullah, Technical Officer, Directorate of Agriculture Kashmir said the department is working to revive the traditional rice variety Mushq budij in Budgam and Kulgam districts.
“Under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP), we will notify some areas in Budgam, Kulgam, Kupwara and Anantnag that will help in area expansion and we will also see its results,” he said.
The Technical Officer said the move will help in the expansion of its horizons and it will increase the production of Mushq budij so that the same is exported to outside the valley.
Chief Agriculture Officer Budgam, Tafazul Madni said the rice variety is cultivated in some scattered places of the district and they are working hard to revive it on a large scale.
“Over the past many years it was not upgraded and its yield potential had declined and there are very few takers in the market. The rice variety is susceptible to diseases,” he said.
“This year we have received a new Mushq budij variety (Suqua 5-8) from SKUAST-K and it has been distributed to all the districts on a trial basis and we have distributed it to farmers. We have also received another rice variety, Shalimar Sugandh, which has been distributed to farmers at subsidized rates,” he said.
The CAO also said this year they have also done seed replacement in improved paddy varieties in some areas in the district.
Mushk Budji is short, bold aromatic rice grown in the higher reaches of Kashmir. Its cooked rice is unique and possesses a harmonious blend of taste and aroma. The special variety of rice needs a special atmosphere and peculiar climatic conditions.
Notably, SKUAST-K has been working for the revival of old and forgotten varieties like Mushq budij and has worked hard for its preservation.
Officials of the Agriculture Department said the government has initiated reforms in the agriculture sector as a matter of policy to elevate the socio-economic conditions of farmers and is attempting to make them entrepreneurs par excellence.
They said the cultivation of age-old traditional varieties of paddy have been replaced with high-yielding varieties which has substantially increased the yield of paddy.
