SRINAGAR: In a significant push towards modernising agriculture and strengthening the local vegetable-growing sector, a progressive farmer from Tahab area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district has introduced a solar-powered mini cold storage facility, offering local growers an opportunity to preserve their produce and fetch better market prices.
Farooq Ahmad, a resident of Tahab, has taken a different approach from the growing trend of converting agricultural land into orchards, turning his horticultural land back into agricultural fields and venturing into large-scale vegetable cultivation.
By adopting modern farming techniques and cultivating organic as well as improved varieties of vegetables, he is attempting to demonstrate the economic potential of vegetable farming. His initiative has also inspired other local growers to explore vegetable cultivation as a sustainable source of income.
To expand the effort through collective participation, he has brought together 29 other farmers under a Farmers Interest Group (FIG), with the objective of increasing production, promoting improved agricultural practices and strengthening farmers’ access to markets.
A key component of this initiative is the installation of a 10-metric-tonne-capacity mini vegetable cold storage unit at Farooq’s farmland, provided free of cost by an organic foundation. The facility operates on solar energy and is being described as the first such facility in the area.
“The cold storage unit is expected to address a longstanding challenge confronting vegetable growers, who often have limited options to preserve their harvested produce and are compelled to sell it immediately, sometimes at lower prices due to market fluctuations and excess supply,” Farooq said.
With the facility, members of the FIG will be able to store their vegetables and release them into the market according to demand, particularly during the off-season, when better prices can be secured.
Farooq said modern agricultural technology had become indispensable for improving farm productivity and ensuring better economic returns, and that farmers could significantly enhance production even with limited resources by adopting scientific cultivation methods and making effective use of available technological facilities.
“The mini cold storage facility will be a major support for local farmers. Instead of selling the entire produce immediately after harvesting, we will be able to preserve vegetables and supply them to markets when demand and prices are favourable. This will help improve farmers’ earnings,” he said.
He also called upon unemployed youth and fellow farmers to explore the potential of vegetable cultivation, saying agriculture could emerge as a viable source of employment if supported by modern technology, proper planning and market-oriented production. He urged farmers to take maximum advantage of government-sponsored schemes and agricultural support programmes.
The initiative assumes significance at a time when improving post-harvest management, reducing wastage and ensuring remunerative prices have emerged as important concerns for the farming community.
The introduction of solar-powered storage, coupled with collective farming efforts, is expected to provide local growers with greater flexibility in handling their produce and encourage more farmers to take up commercial vegetable cultivation. (KNO)
