Srinagar, Oct 23: Amid delay in sowing season in the month of June due to incessant rains, Kashmir has witnessed bumper production this year, officials said on Monday.
Director Agriculture Kashmir, Chowdhary Muhammad Iqbal, said in kharif season paddy is a staple food and 1.29 lakh hectares of paddy land is under cultivation in the valley.
“This year in the initial days when farmers were sowing the seed in the nurseries the climatic conditions were unfavourable and farmers as well as the department officials were worried about the crop,” he said.
The director mentioned that due to the delay in paddy sowing, the department initiated the Khareef campaign and also marked a special day for paddy transplantation in the valley.
“This year there has been bumper increase in the production of paddy then the previous year. There has been 7-10 percent increase in the production,” he said.
Iqbal also emphasized that the prices of rice varieties have risen, and the department is dedicated to enhancing farmers’ income.
He also said the department is raising awareness about the benefits of agriculture and advocating for the preservation of agricultural land by adopting horizontal housing.
The Director Agriculture said that paddy is a staple crop of the valley and paddy transplantation has its cultural importance in the valley.
He said the department is working to ensure high-yielding varieties of agriculture crops including paddy reaches farming community and to preserve and promote the cultivation of traditional varieties like Mushk Budji, zagg, meetha-chawal etc. in the region.
Director Agriculture appreciated the role of the farming community in preserving the traditional varieties of paddy and other agriculture crops are commendable.
He said that besides the latest high-yielding varieties the local paddy varieties (muskbudji, zagg, meetha-chawal etc) are finding new markets.
