PULWAMA, Mar 29 : In a mesmerizing showcase of agricultural diversification, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research–Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM), Jammu, on Sunday threw open the CSIR Tulip Fest–2026 to the general public at its Field Station Bonera in Pulwama.
The station, recognized for pursuing breakthrough analysis and applied sciences in medicinal and fragrant crops, has launched a brand new aspect to its analysis and expertise deployment endeavours underneath the flagship CSIR Floriculture Mission, launched by the Ministry of Science and Technology to strengthen the business floriculture panorama within the area.
Under a devoted vertical of the Mission for producing indigenous, high-quality germplasm for business floricultural cultivars, the institute has made important progress over the previous 5 years, significantly within the indigenization of tulip bulb manufacturing.
Scientists and researchers related to the Mission have developed sturdy manufacturing and administration protocols aimed toward creating sustainable and scalable fashions for the multiplication of indigenous tulip bulbs.
Leveraging the beneficial agro-climatic circumstances of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly within the Kashmir Valley, the Field Station at the moment hosts round 1.3 lakh blooming tulips, attracting 1000’s of holiday makers. These embody faculty and faculty college students, social media influencers, environmentalists, and native residents from throughout the Valley.
The initiative marks a significant milestone underneath the CSIR Floriculture Mission and builds upon a profitable pilot experiment initiated on the station 4 years in the past. Preliminary analysis on tulip bulb germination and multiplication has yielded promising outcomes, laying the groundwork for large-scale native manufacturing.
At current, tulip cultivation in Kashmir is basically depending on imported bulbs. However, this breakthrough alerts a brand new starting for sustainable, domestically pushed tulip manufacturing within the area. Launched in 2020, the CSIR Floriculture Mission goals to boost farmers’ incomes and promote an agritech startup ecosystem by way of the cultivation of numerous floricultural crops and growth of value-added merchandise.
Addressing the inaugural perform, Director CSIR-IIIM Jammu, Dr. Zabeer Ahmed, highlighted the institute’s dedication to offering high-quality planting materials to farmers, thereby strengthening their financial prospects and remodeling the area’s agrarian ecosystem.
While appreciating the efforts of researchers concerned within the Floriculture Mission, he emphasised that scientific interventions on the station are enjoying a vital function in enabling import substitution of tulip bulbs.
He additional added that the Mission is being efficiently carried out underneath the visionary steering of Dr. Jitendra Singh, Hon’ble Union Minister of Science and Technology.
Dr. Ahmed additionally famous that Jammu and Kashmir, being a biodiversity hotspot, holds immense potential for the cultivation of medicinal and fragrant vegetation. He stated the Bonera Field Station is well-positioned to evolve right into a centre of excellence for creating region-specific applied sciences in agriculture and horticulture.
He additional expressed that the Field Station will, sooner or later, host a National Tulip Festival to advertise the institute’s analysis outcomes.
During his go to to varied sectors of the station, Dr. Ahmed reviewed the progress of ongoing analysis trials in agrotechnology growth for medicinal and fragrant vegetation (MAPs), floriculture, and agri-horticultural crops.
He pressured the necessity for worth addition of domestically developed crop commodities, strengthening market linkages, and enhancing general expertise outreach.
Dr. Shahid Rasool, Principal Scientist and In-charge of the Field Station Bonera, lauded the staff engaged on tulip bulb indigenization.
He stated the programme has been meticulously designed to make sure high quality bulb manufacturing, develop illness administration protocols, set up environment friendly storage practices, and standardize field-scale cultivation methods.
The Tulip Festival acquired widespread appreciation from guests, a lot of whom stated the distinctive initiative by CSIR-IIIM Jammu has helped place Pulwama district prominently on the tourism map of Jammu and Kashmir.