Kulgam, Sep 21: Mushk Budji — the indigenous aromatic rice variety cultivation successfully expanded in south kashmiri’s Kulgam district with vertical farming and endeavoured an area of 138 hectares by Agriculture department Kashmir.
Mushk Budji, was mostly grown on over 250 hectares in five villages of Kokernag in south Kashmir, received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag in August due to the concerted efforts by the agriculture department and SKUAST.
Director Agriculture Kashmir, Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal, inaugurated the first-ever Mushk Budji harvest in Kulgam district and praised the success of the initiative through the Horticulture and Agricultural Development Program (HADP).
“We have been successful in expanding the Mushk Budji to Kulgam district with vertical farming and are expecting more farmers to grow the crop, leading to its increased production to meet the growing demand,” Iqbal said.
The Mushk Budji rice, renowned for its exceptional aroma and culinary qualities, commands a price of Rs 20,000 per quintal.
Notably, the trial for cultivating ‘Mushk Budji’, was conducted by Dr Zahoor Ahmad Reshie, an agriculture specialist from Kulgam district, who ventured into vertical farming, on his rooftop using hydroponic methods last year, and after ventured into vertical farming, without using traditional soil.
