Agriculture Deptt establishing greenhouses to limit dependence of vegetables during slack season

The Agriculture Department Kashmir has extended the issuance of greenhouses to the farmers on 50 percent subsidy with an aim to limit the dependence of vegetables outside Kashmir during ‘slack season’.
A senior agriculture officer said the department is providing greenhouses on 50 percent subsidy under different welfare schemes including Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), National Horticulture Mission and other schemes of Remunerative Approach for Agriculture and Allied sector Rejuvenation.
The procedure for applying for the greenhouse is that a farmer should have a piece of land and needs to contact the local agriculture officer and apply for the same to get a greenhouse on 50 percent subsidy.
He said the size of one greenhouse depends on the available land of the farmer and there is no hard procedure for that. Highest limit for issuing a greenhouse is Rs 2 lakh and lowest starts with Rs 20,000.
The officer said during slack season, the valley faces shortage of vegetables due to snowfall and the move is aimed to bridge that gap and produce vegetables locally.
“When we will have greenhouses, farmers will be able to sow the crop under protected cultivation or controlled atmosphere. We want to limit the slack season and the dependence of vegetables outside Kashmir,” he said.
The official said the department is working on crop diversification which needs to be encouraged. He also said that vegetables are a key element for stability and economic prosperity of farmers.
Director Agriculture Kashmir Chowdhary Mohammad Iqbal said the department is taking several initiatives to overcome shortage of vegetables during winter season.
“We are also planning some high-tech greenhouses in the near future. The climatic condition in Kashmir is good and in winter months there is a shortage of vegetables and this is aimed to make available vegetables in the local farms,” he said.
The director said once the greenhouses are established there will be round the year availability of vegetables in local farms.
“In Kashmir, normally farmers cultivate two crops in the open land. When the greenhouses are established, people will be able to sow more crops and produce vegetables in huge quantities. People can grow crops four times in a year in the greenhouses,” he said.
The director also said that there are many farms across Kashmir some of which have been established in Maloora Srinagar and Kulgam and the farmers reap quality crops every year by using greenhouses. He also said that now many unemployed youths are coming forward in the agriculture sector and they are doing their best.