Director Agriculture Kashmir, Syed Altaf Aijaz Andrabi today today kick-started the sale of different varieties of vegetable seedlings at Kitchen Garden Nursery Lalmandi.The sale witnessed huge rush of vegetable growers from Srinagar and adjacent areas.Interacting with the farmers on the occasion, Director Agriculture Kashmir said that department is committed to promote the Kitchen Garden Scheme, and aims to provide quality vegetable seedlings in advance season to achieve self-sufficiency in vegetables.He said that the department is providing quality and healthy seedlings, which reduces the cost of cultivation in terms of different inputs, including pesticides and fertilizers, and therefore, makes vegetable cultivation remunerative venture.
On this occasion, Director Agriculture Kashmir impressed upon the officers to promote the kitchen garden scheme so that the growers get more and more benefits from this scheme. He said vegetable production not only contributes to the daily consumption of big population, but it can be adopted for commercial purpose as well.He said vegetable cultivation has a good potential of employment generation and the unemployed youth of the Valley with the help of modern technology and suitable agro-climatic conditions for vegetable cultivation in the Valley, can take it to new heights.Besides, Seed Production Officer, other senior officers and a large gathering of vegetable growers were present on the occasion. Cultivators appreciated the efforts of the department for timely availability of vegetable seedlings.