Pulwama, Apr 02 (KNO): With over one lakh bulbs, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Pulwama—a mini Tulip Garden was thrown open for the public on Wednesday.
In a move to strengthen the floriculture sector in Pulwama, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM), Field Station Bonera, hosted a vibrant Tulip Show today.
Under the guidance of Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister for Science and Technology and Minister of Earth Sciences, CSIR-IIIM, as per the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), has launched an initiative to cultivate tulip bulbs domestically.
This project aims to decrease reliance on imported tulip bulbs while fostering a sustainable agritech ecosystem.
As part of the program, over one lakh tulip bulbs were successfully cultivated across 12 kanals of land at the Field Station.
The initiative not only highlights the potential for large-scale tulip production within the country but also seeks to promote self-reliance in floriculture.
Today’s event opened the station to the public, attracting a significant number of visitors, including children and students, who admired the breathtaking tulip blooms. The festival served as a showcase of the region’s floricultural capabilities and the progress made in indigenous tulip cultivation.
“This initiative aligns with the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ mission, ensuring reduced dependency on imports while creating economic opportunities for local farmers,” stated a CSIR-IIIM scientist.
Officials from CSIR-IIIM highlighted the role of scientific innovation in agriculture, emphasizing that this effort would pave the way for self-sufficiency in tulip production. “The project is expected to strengthen the floriculture industry by fostering research, enabling commercial cultivation, and generating employment opportunities. By promoting local tulip farming, this initiative stands to benefit both the agricultural community and the broader economy, marking a significant step towards sustainable growth in the floriculture sector.”
People from different areas of Kashmir, who visited the station, said that this station has been turned into a mini Tulip garden and people have enjoyed it here.
They said that every part of Kashmir is beautiful and tulips have added beauty to the whole station in Pulwama, adding that such events are important as people come to know about the resources they have in their area.
Dr Shahid Rasool, a Senior Scientist in Genetic Resources and Agro- technology who serving as Scientist-in-Charge, Field Station Bonera, Pulwama of CSIR-IIIM said that CSIR Pulwama is spread over 200 acres of land and different types of medicinal and aromatic plants are being grown here.
He said that the main aim is to provide farmers with technology so that raw material for industries can be generated so as to develop a sustainable development. “We witnessed that the floriculture sector is an emerging sector and we thought developing technology in this sector and Kashmir altogether is a tourist destination and when flowers are added to it, it adds to the beauty of the place.”
"Tulips have multifold benefits as it promotes ecotourism along with farmer empowerment," he said, adding that “for the last three years, this station has been very active in propagating indigenous of tulips and currently there are eight varieties.”
“Our aim is reach a stage that we can cultivate tulips that all tulips imported from Holland are substituted by locally grown tulips grown by farmers for sustainable development,” he said—(KNO)