Aadil Dar 
Srinagar April 15, (KNS): To promote cultivation of vegetables by people in their kitchen gardens for improved food security and physical activity, the department of Agriculture today kick started distribution of various vegetable saplings including hybrid tomato, saag (Khanyari), bottle gourd, cucumber among the growers and kitchen garden lovers at Lalmandi under the campaign “AAYEIN SABZI UGAYEIN”.
Director, Agriculture Kashmir, Altaf Aijaz Andrabi, said that the main aim of distribution of saplings is to promote Kitchen Garden activities in both rural and urban areas of Kashmir division. The campaign is aimed at ensuring maximum reach out to the growers who could use their spaces and enjoy healthy supply of vegetables in these extra-ordinary circumstances.
Andrabi impressed upon the officers of the department to promote the kitchen gardening in such a way that growers get more and more benefits from the scheme. He added that vegetable production not only contributes to the daily consumption of population, but it can be adopted for commercial purpose as well. He said vegetable cultivation has a good potential of employment generation.
On the occasion, Director Agriculture said that the Department is committed to promote the Kitchen Garden Scheme and aims at providing quality vegetable saplings to the growers besides fulfilling domestic requirement to create surplus vegetables which could be transported to National as well as International market for resource generation.
During the distribution of vegetable saplings necessary guidelines issued by various organizations regarding Covid-19 (Social Distancing) were followed in letter and spirit.
Among others Joint Director Agriculture, (Extension/Inputs), Chowdhary Mohammad Iqbal, Seed Production Officer, Manzoor Ahmad Lone, In-charge, Kitchen Garden Altaf Ahmad and other concerned officers of the department were also present. (KNS)