India: State of Kashmir thinking of reviving hops cultivation

Although the government has stopped issuing license for sale of liquor in the state of Kashmir, the plan of reviving the cultivation of hops in the state has become agricultural ministry’s top priority, The Rising Kashmir posted on April, 7.

Cultivation of hops, which was a valuable source of income for Jammu and Kashmir and foreign exchange saver for India was stopped in Kashmir after the outbreak of armed rebellion in 1989.

Now the government is hoping to resume hop cultivation.

“Government had not banned hop cultivation. It was because of turmoil that farmers who were cultivating hops shifted their focus on other crops. However, now my department will provide all necessary inputs and incentives to the farmers interested in restarting hop cultivation,” Minister for Agriculture, Ghulam Hassan Mir informed the Legislative Council said.

The cultivation of hops in Kashmir is still a sensitive issue.

Last year, when liquor baron Vijay Mallya announced plans to restart hop cultivation, Kashmir received the news with anger.

Then Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had to intervene and convince Mallya to shun his plans of cultivating hops in Kashmir.

The Mallyas had started hop cultivation at Shilvat in north Kashmir in 1973 but in 1989 militants destroyed a unit run by the family and forced its closure.

“Our State is cash starved and economically fragile. Enhancing agricultural and horticultural production can help. If hop cultivation and other medicinal plants is encouraged, it will help to a great extent to strengthen our economy,” a top official said pleading anonymity.

Meanwhile, sources said that an assistance of Rs 3 lakh would be provided to farmers for each nursery cultivating hops or other medicinal plants.

Government of India is also providing assistance to State government for prioritising cultivation of hops and other medicinal plants in the State, the sources said.

07 April, 2010