Budgam farmer adds green spaces, turns brick kiln into fertile land

Budgam, Jan 30: Ghulam Mustafa Malik, a progressive farmer from Dandina village in central Kashmir’s Budgam district has converted 23 kanals of brick kiln into fertile land with the help of the agricultural department in Budgam under the climate change scheme.
While talking to the Rising Kashmir, Ghulam Mustafa Malik said that in 1998, he had given 23 kanals of agricultural land to the brick kiln owner. “However, in the year 2010, we got our land back from the brick kiln owner, which had been used for brick kiln purposes for more than 12 years.”
“After getting our land back, we could not grow anything on it till the 2011 year.We became helpless and hopeless during this one-year period. After that, we approached the agricultural department in Budgam, and they provided me with a lot of support to grow various kinds of seeds in this agricultural land under the climate change programme,” Malik said.
He said the agricultural department has provided me with various kinds of seeds, cows, poultry, veri compost, and other necessary things through which my family and my other three brothers have started agricultural activities.
He said that under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) Scheme, he has been given sprinkler irrigation as there were not enough irrigation facilities on agricultural land. “The agricultural department has also provided me with a water harvest tank and a spray machine, through which my family members have started earning a good source of income.”
“The horticultural department in Budgam has also provided the apple trees, a Bruch cutter, and a spray motor, through which we are cleaning our land and doing the spraying of apple trees on our land,” he said.
“Adding that, presently, I am also selling vegetables, fruits, milk, apples, poultry, and sheep in the local market, through which my life style has been fully changed, and my other three brothers are also doing the same work in this agricultural land.”
“When the brick kiln was functional on our agricultural land, they provided a low amount of money to us.” “Presently, I am earning a good source of income through this land, which we have converted back to agricultural and horticultural activities,” he added.