Pulwama, Mar 30: Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Tech-nology, Kashmir (SKUAST-K) is establishing a Centre of Excellence for Tulip culti-vation at Sagam in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
This initiative aims to reduce dependence on imported tulip bulbs from the Nether-lands and boost local production.
Vice Chancellor of SKUAST-K, Professor Dr. Nazir Ahmad Gania, told Rising Kashmir that the first experimental crop of tulips at Sagam, located near the famous tourist destination Kokernag, has shown promising results.
“The soil and climatic conditions at Sagam are highly suitable for tulip cultivation,” Dr. Gania said, “Currently, the tulips are in full bloom, creating a breath-taking spec-tacle.”
To further enhance this initiative, SKUAST-K intends to sign a Memorandum of Un-derstanding (MoU) with the Government of the Netherlands for collaborative devel-opment of the project.
Dr. Gania also revealed that in the 2025-26 budget, the Jammu and Kashmir gov-ernment, under the leadership of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, has allocated ₹8 crore for the development of this Centre of Excellence.
The university plans to introduce commercially viable tulip varieties among different farmer clusters.
“Each cluster will be assigned a specific tulip variety for multiplication,” Dr. Gania explained, “SKUAST-K will then purchase the bulbs from these clusters, ensuring economic benefits for farmers while generating employment opportunities and re-ducing import dependency.”
He further noted that SKUAST-K is in the process of standardizing tulip multiplica-tion technology, which is expected to take about two years.
“Once the technology is fully developed, we will approach the government to estab-lish a support system for farmers to facilitate large-scale tulip cultivation,” he added.
Dr. Gania also mentioned that the upper reaches of Kashmir, including Gulmarg, Tangmarg, Kangan, and Shopian, have a suitable environment and soil texture for tulip cultivation.
