Anantnag student expands on the concept of learning from SKUAST

Post by Younus Rashid

A young female student pursuing an MSc in Agricultural Economics at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST – Kashmir) chooses to be independent and demonstrates the practical application of her course by successfully establishing a fruit plant nursery where a couple of others also earn their living.

A young, ambitious student Gowhar Jabeen started the Kiwi nursery and production business in order to sustain herself and provide for others.
Jabeen told Rising Kashmir, “This notion was at the back of my mind from the beginning of my studies, and I put all of my efforts on it.

According to Jabeen, market inflation forces one to earn a living at a young age. She was eager to be self-sufficient and relieve her parents’ financial burden.
“After doing some research, I was able to solidify the concept of this kiwi nursery.

The tendency was also towards high-density plants. Based on the market structure, the demand for kiwi is considerable. One kiwi costs about 30 rupees and when the inflation rate is high it costs about 50 per piece. The value of kiwi is increasing every day,” she remarked.

The ‘Hayward’ kiwi plants have been a blessing; since this variety was introduced in Kashmir, it has produced wonderful fruits and has grown at an exponential rate.

The Hayward Kiwi is the predominant green kind farmed for export and dominates production in most producing locations. It is rounder and slightly hairier than other Kiwi cultivars. Hayward has the best eating quality among the existing green varieties, owing to its higher levels of sweetness.

“We have a polyhouse where we maintain these plants. Growers are already contacting us for these Kiwi plants, and demand has increased dramatically. The Hayward Kiwi is a female and a male plant,” she explained, adding that she comes from a farming family, but she learned how to cope with farming at SKUAST Kashmir, which helped her set up the unit.

According to Jabeen, people have the least probability of sliding into debt in agribusiness. It is critical that when people buy kiwi plants, they get the pair – male and female kiwi plants – for the optimum kiwi output, she explained. (Rising Kashmir)