Srinagar, May 25: Asparagus or most commonly known as Paarglass in Kashmiri parlance is a highly nutritious vegetable having huge demand throughout the world but is on decline in the valley with farmers reluctant to take it forward due to low returns.
Mohd Shaban, a resident of Baramulla district started Asparagus cultivation in 1985. His family is now reluctant to continue its production due to the government. apathy and consequent low returns.
“Asparagus production fetched good income and we used to get Rs 12 to Rs 13 for every Asparagi Rhizome root but now it fetches only Rs 5 which isn’t enough,” he said.
One of the vital issues he said is improper transport facility which makes sending the produce to Srinagar expensive.
“I heard about it from a friend in Rajbagh, then I took seeds from the Indian Institute of Integrated Medicine (IIIM) at Sanat Nagar and started growing Asparagus,” he said.
Harvested from April to July in Kashmir, the crop needs fertile land, mountainous or in the plains. “Boiling process is done in Srinagar as villagers don’t have such facilities. When the boiling process is over, it is exported outside J&K,” he said.
Another farmer Ghulam Qadir from Damnoo village in Baramulla brought asparagus seeds from SunTop Products Rajbagh, Srinagar, where his relatives would grow the crop. He started the crop production in 1980 and distributed seeds to other villagers.
“Previously, we earned good money but due to the unavailability of transport and low rates now, we discontinued this business,” he said. He said that the crop’s production has massive potential but needs government attention.
“The government should provide insurance schemes like it provides for the fisheries sector besides transportation facilities as it is expensive to send the produce to Srinagar,” he said.
A perennial crop, light green or white in color, Asparagus has a huge demand world over but its production is suffering due to government apathy towards the growers.
As per farmers asparagus production is decreasing at an alarming rate due to low returns and no transportation facility to ferry the produce from far-flung areas.
The growers added that asparagus production could be encouraged by establishing small firms, providing insurance schemes and transportation facilities to these areas.
Prof. (Dr) M. F. Baqual, Associate Dean at SK-University of Agriculture Sciences and Technology said J&K is bestowed with enormous floral wealth ranging from big perennials to herbs and shrubs which were used as traditional medicine.
He said asparagus or most commonly known as Paarglass in Kashmiri derives its name from asparagine, an amino acid which is abundant in it.
“Asparagus is basically a perennial herb and has scale-like leaves and an erect, multi-branched stem that grows up to 3 m in height. It was cultivated in abundance in Kashmir and was used as a vegetable owing to its medicinal and highly nutritious value,” Prof. Baqual said.
He said Jammu and Kashmir is the only place in India, where Asparagus is grown. Its aerial stems or spears arising from rhizomes are consumed as a vegetable.
“During the days gone by Asparagus used to fetch good money may be up to Rs 15/kg which has dwindled during time and probably resulted in skewed behaviour of farmers towards its cultivation,” he said.
Asparagus is reported to be an excellent source of foods high in folate that lower the risk of colon, pancreas and esophageal cancers. It provides Vitamin C and Beta Carotene and foods high in these nutrients offer additional cancer protection.
“Asparagus is also a source of antioxidants and contains Saponins possessing anti-inflammatory properties. It is also a good source of folic acid, potassium, dietary fibre and rutin besides having very low Sodium. The deficiency of asparagine causes neurological problems in affected individuals starting soon after birth. Most people with this condition have an unusually small head size (microcephaly) that worsens over time due to loss (atrophy) of brain tissue. It is also used as a structural component in many proteins,” he said.
However, he said J&K has conceived an ambitious project under the Holistic Agriculture Development Project (HADP) and under this project all the areas of agriculture are being revived to ensure increased productivity for income augmentation of the farming community.
“The revival and increased focus under this project is also being laid on cultivation and subsequent increased production of medicinal and aromatic plants available in our valley. This move will not only be beneficial for associated farmers but also will result in conservation of all medicinal and aromatic plant wealth of the valley,” Prof. Baqual said.
