Kulgam, May 08: Dr Zahoor Ahmad Reshi, an employee in the Agriculture department and a professional agriculturist, is conducting a trial to cultivate Mushk Budji using innovative vertical farming.
Mushk Budji is a kind of aromatic paddy crop exclusively cultivated in Sagam, Anantnag district, known for its fragrance.
Dr Reshi, resident of Kulgam, said that he tried a trial last year to cultivate Mushk Budji in Kulgam district on the floor of his house.
“As a hydroponic specialist, I attempted to cultivate Mushk Budji on the floor, and thankfully, it was successful. Seeing the success of that experimental trial, this year, I attempted to make it a commercial venture with the intention of educating others,” he said.
He said that he had a Kanal of land and faced the choice of cultivating either paddy or vegetables on this patch of land.
“I thought differently, knowing that we’re in a modern era, so I conducted a trial and set up a vertical structure. This structure helped me convert my one Kanal of land into four Kanals. Besides, I had a nearby wall that was unused, so I converted it into seven marlas of land,” he said.
He said that he obtained seven marlas of land seemingly out of nothing. “In this land, I erected three-and-a-half-meter sacks upright and used an overhead irrigation system for water, utilizing drip lines,” he said.
He also utilized paddy husk, which is typically discarded, in soil culture as it is resilient and does not break down easily.
“The trial is progressing smoothly. Usually, we plant paddy in June, but this time, I planted it at the end of March. The aim of cultivating earlier was to enable a second crop in the year. I found Mushk Budji to be the better option as it is a local variety that grows in cold areas and tolerates cold weather. Despite the recent dip in temperature over the past ten days or more, any other crop would have succumbed, but this crop survived,” he added.
Reshi said that after the trial is completed, he will cultivate another crop in the same year, which is the main aim of conducting such an experimental trial.
“This idea will also help farmers to cultivate a second crop in the year and increase their crop yield over a small patch of land. Like how I converted one Kanal into four Kanals of land using the vertical farming concept. This sort of farming also requires less water than traditional farming,” he added.
