AJK begins ginger cultivation trial to promote high-value farming

MIRPUR, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd May, 2026) The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Agriculture Department has launched a ginger cultivation trial at an “Organic Growers” farm in Parsacha under its Training and Adaptive Research Centre Garhi Dupatta, officials said on Sunday.

The trial has been initiated in collaboration with the Extension Centre Kahori under the supervision of subject specialists Imtiaz Hussain and Syed Riaz Hussain, along with Agriculture Officer Javed Riaz and farm owner Sohail Khan. Planting material, including tissue culture lines and rhizome-based varieties, was obtained from the Ayub Agricultural Research Institute Faisalabad and Nishtar Farm Islamabad.

Officials said this is the first time ginger seed is being field-tested by the research centre on farmers’ land instead of controlled experimental fields.

The objective is to evaluate the performance, adaptability and yield potential of different ginger varieties under varying agro-climatic conditions.

They added that previous successful trials of ginger varieties had already been conducted at the centre, and the current step aims to expand testing to multiple locations to better assess commercial viability before large-scale promotion.

Highlighting the initiative, agriculture experts said the selected farm is known for modern and non-traditional farming practices, making it suitable for introducing high-value crops. They added that further experimental cultivation of new crop varieties is planned in the future to promote diversified and profitable agriculture in the region.

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