Vegetable production in Kashmir is not now just a means to have vegetables just for family consumption but has changed into a major commercial activity due to increasing interest of farmers in it in recent years. For increasing production of different varieties of vegetables traditionally cultivated in Kashmir the farmers have shown tremendous interest in using even the polyethylene plastic-covered greenhouses that were offered by both the agriculture and horticulture departments at subsidised rates but lately the farmers are complaining about the non availability of polyethylene plastic-Greenhouses through agriculture and horticulture departments on subsidised rates. Knowing that introduction of polyethylene plastic-Greenhouses has unprecedentedly increased vegetable production year after year the grievances of the vegetable growers deserves immediate attention and intervention of the Government as the no of vegetable growers in has grown in thousands over the period of years across Kashmir. What matters the most is the fact that not only vegetable growers but agriculture experts also confirm reports about the annual production of 2000 tones of vegetables by the local vegetable growers. Interestingly most of the vegetable growers of Kashmir bring tones of several varieties of vegetables daily to local markets for sale across Kashmir and such an intense rise in vegetable production in Kashmir has been noticed after the introduction of high yielding seeding varieties of different kind of vegetables several years back. As vegetables produced in Kashmir are now even transported to Jammu and several states of the country where cultivation of tomatoes, Okra and Peas is difficult, the demand for local varieties of vegetables from Kashmir to several other parts of the country is also rising year after year. What matters a special here is the fact that polyethylene plastic- covered green houses have immensely contributed to the growth and expansion of vegetable farming in Kashmir as those having polyethylene plastic-Greenhouses are producing several varieties of vegetables even during the chilly season of winter. Farmers in several parts of Kashmir have also changed their farming activity from rice cultivation to vegetable of farming because of the higher yield and consequently higher returns.
- Amid unprecedented rise in the interest of vegetable farming among farmers across Kashmir the grievances of farmers about the suspension of a scheme implemented for availability of polyethylene plastic-Greenhouses on subsidised rates by the agriculture and horticulture departments are on rise across Kashmir and it is for the Government to take notice of such a grievances of Valley farmers for the purposes of removing the bottlenecks coming in the way of farmers in purchasing the polyethylene plastic-Greenhouses from both agriculture and horticulture departments. After all polyethylene plastic-Greenhouses have become game changers in the cultivation of vegetable farming in Kashmir .
Though accessibility to polyethylene plastic green houses are rarely available to farmers of hilly areas of Kashmir valley but they are digging bore wells and installing water storage tanks with some assistance from agriculture and horticulture departments under several centrally sponsored schemes introduced in Jammu & Kashmir in recent years. It is also a fact that many farmers have built water storage tanks of higher capacities with assistance from agriculture and horticulture departments under several centrally sponsored schemes for irrigating vegetable farms that are spread over several acres of land. Vegetable growers also say that organic manures like vermin-compost used to augment the production of crops has also increased several varieties of vegetables consequently the value of such varieties of vegetables has also increases in the market in recent years. Amid unprecedented rise in the interest of vegetable farming among farmers across Kashmir the grievances of farmers about the suspension of a scheme implemented for availability of polyethylene plastic-Greenhouses on subsidised rates by the agriculture and horticulture departments are on rise across Kashmir and it is for the Government to take notice of such a grievances of Valley farmers for the purposes of removing the bottlenecks coming in the way of farmers in purchasing the polyethylene plastic-Greenhouses from both agriculture and horticulture departments. After all polyethylene plastic-Greenhouses have become game changers in the cultivation of vegetable farming in Kashmir.
