By: SAHIL MANZOOR
Vegetables are very important for our healthy life style. There are various types of vegetables being cultivated in Kashmir and some are being imported here from other states of the country. Vegetables are rich in carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, vitamins, dietary fibre etc. Vegetables keep us away from certain deficient diseases like low vision, (of different types), scurvy, constipation, skin related problems and many more. The omission of vegetables makes the human body more prone to diseases. A diet rich in vegetables reduces the risk of cardiovascular problems and future complications. The risk of heart diseases among the individuals are increasing these days. We are experiencing deaths of younger individuals more, one of the reasons may their food habits. We are lacking the proper awareness of the diet rich in vegetables, and its importance.
These days most of us are fond of junk food. We are eating it in very joyful manner, but before eating it we must know its consequences and outcomes. Junk food weakens our skin, harms our liver, heart, intestines, stomach etc. Many harmful flavors are added into it for the better taste because while making different dishes, the restaurant owners/chefs/cooks, are not keeping in mind health, of their customers.
Being smart individuals we should take care of our health while choosing our diet. We should eat salads of raw vegetables like carrots, cabbage leaves, cucumber, lemon, radish etc. with every meal.
I have just mentioned few benefits of the vegetables in this article, so that we will able to know the value of vegetables and their regular use. However, during winters we face shortage of vegetables and also the prices swell. There are many reasons behind it like we are experiencing moderate to heavy snowfall here in Kashmir valley. Cultivation of vegetables comes to a halt except for those who use green houses. Therefore the supply of the locally grown vegetables comes down. Secondly, during winters the National Highway (Jammu-Srinagar) gets regularly disrupted and remains closed for days and weeks. This impacts the supply of vegetables from outside.
Need is that this sector is given special attention by the concerned agriculture department. The department should introduce new scientific technologies and should made people aware about the same on a larger scale. It’s mandatory for officials of the concerned department to train vegetable growers. Agricultural department should provide adequate facilities, tools, greenhouses to the farmers at the earliest. The people are to be encouraged to grow vegetables. One, it will help increase their individual economy, two, it would help make Kashmir self sufficient in production of vegetables. Winter should in no way hamper the production and for that, the government need to focus on the sector and involve more and more farmers.
- The writer can be reached at sahilmanzoor0401@gmail.com
