Farooq Ahmad Shah, Secretary for Tourism and Floriculture, met Houter Vealey, agriculture counsellor of the Netherlands for India and Sri Lanka, at the Dutch embassy in New Delhi today. “The officials held threadbare discussions to explore commercial floriculture development avenues in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly the Valley,” said an official statement issued here. “The counsellor was convinced that Kashmir had tremendous potential to become the hub for commercial production of cut flowers which are of the best quality and fragrance,” it said. “Vealey emphasised the production of tulip, lilium, lilly,…
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Business
‘Scooty Boom’ amid Unrest
Sales of gearless two-wheelers have increased many times in past 2 months For past near about three months which were marked by shutdowns and government restriction with no public transport and almost invisible private transport, it is the ‘scooty’ which is riding on Kashmir roads these days. The gearless two-wheeler or scooters, commonly here know as a ‘scooty’, as brand named by the company which first introduced it in Indian market, has become the most viable option of transport during the prevailing transport. The gearless scooter which was first considered…
Read MorePvt sector takes hit during unrest, 11 lakh affected
Private companies in the Valley, which are lying shut since the unrest started in July 8 following the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani, have not paid salary to their employees, creating a distressing situation for them. “We were paid salary for the days we reported for work but are now sitting at home without any source of income. This is a distressing situation for us,” said Nazim Ahmad, a private sector employee. Chairman of the Kashmir Economic Alliance Yasin Khan said around 11 lakh people engaged in the private…
Read MoreFlourishing produce of vegetables from Dal Lake during Unrest
Like many other city pavements, the Saida Kadal – Nigeen stretch has become a hub of local vegetable vendor’s selling farm fresh vegetables at prices much lower than that of market cost. Drivers, shopkeepers and even daily wage workers have turned into vegetable vendors to sell produce from the nearby Dal lake. Squatting at his stall at Rangar Stop Saida Kadal, Showkat Ahmad Dar’s life has witnessed a transition from being a bus driver to a vegetable vendor. “For last two and half months, I have been selling vegetables produced…
Read MoreGrowers to stop fruit exports on increased freight
Owing to the enhanced freight rates, the fruit growers have decided not to export fresh crop to outside the mandis. In a statement, Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers cum Dealers Union said they appealed all the valley based growers not to send fruit to outside mandis. It said due to continued restrictions imposed by the government, the fruit growers could not spray pesticides and insecticides in their orchards resulting in the fall of apples from trees in bulk creating panic among them. “We lifted the fallen apple crop to avoid any…
Read MoreUnrest mars harvesting season; No truckers for Kashmir apple
Apple growers are grappling with lack of labour and transport this season. The Army says it is facilitating movement of 1,500 trucks out of the Valley every day. While people across rural Kashmir get busy collecting apple, this season, growers are facing problems never seen before. The apple industry is the mainstay of the rural economy. The state produces around 18 to 22 lakh metric tonnes of varieties of fruit, with 80% comprising apple. “The apple crop is ready. I am afraid to collect it as the unrest has hit…
Read MoreFruit growers across Kashmir battle Closed Mandis, Storage due to unrest
As per the data of the Horticulture Department, there has been a three-fold rise in fruit consignments to various markets outside the state this month. Fruit growers in Kashmir have been forced to rush their produce to various markets across the country after the closure of local markets and cold storage facilities owing to the ongoing unrest. According to officials of the Department of Horticulture (Planning and Marketing), the closure of local mandis and cold storage facilities, coupled with non-availability of labour, have forced the fruit growers to harvest and…
Read MoreCity markets re-open in evening
City markets re-opened today evening after 11 days, during the relaxation period announced by joint resistance leadership. As the clock ticked to 6’ O’ Clock, shopkeepers upped the shutters of shops and customers started making a beeline. The last time, city markets remained open on September 12, during the relaxation period. It was a day before Eid-ul-Adha. The protest calendar issued from September 17 to 22 had urged people to observe complete shutdown, without any relaxation. Various shopkeepers had arrived around 2 pm today and could be seen cleaning the…
Read MoreProtest Hits Kashmiris Hard, State Tourism Industry Suffers Rs 3000 crore loss
Tourism sector in Kashmir has suffered a loss of around Rs 3,000 crore as the 77-day ongoing unrest in the valley resulted in sharp decline of tourists. According to preliminary estimates, tourism department officials said the key sector of state’s economy has suffered a loss of around Rs 3,000 crore due to the unrest which broke out on July 9 following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces a day earlier. “The tourism destinations and hotels both in private and government sector have…
Read MoreSign of normalcy, Govt showroom opens in ‘Caged’ Lal Chowk
JK Owned Corporations directed to throw open outlets or ‘Face Action’ On Friday, Kashmir Handicrafts Corporation opened its showroom in Srinagar’s commercial hub Lal Chowk after directions from the state authorities to government-owned corporations to open their outlets and go back to business in the summer capital amid restrictions and resistance camp-backed shutdown. A senior official in the office of Divisional Commissioner Kashmir said the State authorities recently issued strict directions to J&K Handicrafts (Sales and Export) Corporation, J&K Handloom Development Corporation, JKI and other government-owned business establishments to start…
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