Pulwama: CSIR Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM), Jammu, under the Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India, today commenced its annual tulip plantation at the Institute’s Field Station at Bonera, Pulwama.
Inaugurating the plantation, Dr. Zabeer Ahmed, Director, CSIR-IIIM, said that the Institute is implementing the pan-India CSIR Floriculture Mission to enhance India’s capabilities in commercial floriculture. He noted that the programme aims to position Jammu & Kashmir as a future hub for tulip bulb production, helping India transition from an import-dependent consumer to a self-sufficient producer. He added that since 2021, the Mission has achieved significant milestones in strengthening the floriculture sector and empowering farmers through high-value ornamental crop production.
As part of the event, CSIR-IIIM organised a workshop on integrated apiculture, commercial floriculture and ornamental crop production systems at the Field Station. The programme was designed to disseminate advanced scientific knowledge and enhance agri-entrepreneurial skills among students, farmers and aspiring agri-entrepreneurs.
A total of 120 students from various academic institutions and 40 apiculture farmers from South Kashmir participated in the workshop. They received intensive training on evidence-based apiculture covering honey bee colony dynamics, nutritional supplementation, integrated pest and pathogen management, and winter management strategies in apiary systems.
Dr Shahid Rasool, Principal Scientist and incharge of the Field Station, informed that the training modules covered the full spectrum of modern ornamental floriculture from propagation physiology, phenological modelling, and controlled environment cultivation to post-harvest management, supply chain optimisation and market-driven varietal selection.
Subject experts delivered lectures on ornamental crop improvement, conservation of wild MAPs and germplasm, adaptive cultivation under climate variability, and biotechnological interventions for quality enhancement and stress tolerance.
The workshop reaffirmed CSIR IIIM’s commitment to translational research, rural livelihood enhancement, and strengthening India’s presence in the global floriculture and apiculture sectors.
CSIR IIIM initiated tulip cultivation at the station in 2022 with the objectives of indigenizing tulip bulb production, developing agrotechnological protocols, and expanding domestic tulip cultivation. The initiative aligns with the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
