Jammu and Kashmir constitute about 67.5% of the North-Western Himalayas and are a repository of rich and rare floral diversity. This provides a fair scope for the production of propagules of varied ornamentals and then their marketing.
The Valley of Kashmir abounds in its rich resources of ornamental plants, both native and exotic. The native plants include Primules, Adonis, Iriser, Colombine, Larkaspur, Linaria, and others. J&K has a long tradition of flower growing, and it is an age-old practice. Undoubtedly, the propagule production continued, but the efforts were unorganized, and thus need of the hour is to explore the existing potential of Kashmir for its bulb production and to enter into a sound business of supplying bulbs of flowers not only to the national but to International market as well.
Kashmir valley is highly suitable for bulb production owing to temperate climatic conditions. Also, there is a huge demand for these bulbs in tropical areas where summer temperatures are high enough, which renders these areas unsuitable for bulb production. This confers Kashmir as a unique place and envisages a vast scope for bulb production on commercial lines.
Bulb production is a technologically intensive activity. The fewer efforts of bulb production in Kashmir have employed an unskilled labor force which results in the production of low-quality bulbs. For the growth of this industry on commercial lines, it is essential to upgrade the skills of the workforce involved. They should be given technical know-how of bulb production and for this regular training programs.
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