Firdous Hassan
Every day at first light, Ghulam Nabi Bhat rushes to his lavender farm in Anantnag. For the last two weeks, his garden has been the busiest place in the town. Locals and tourists make a beeline to witness the lavender bloom.
“Pulwama and Anantnag are known for lavender cultivation. Lots of farmers have adopted this framing. It is harvesting time and tourists visit our gardens to witness the bloom,” he said.
Lavender parks in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam resort and Central Kashmir’s Nunar are witnessing a huge tourist rush.
“Lavender park has become a favorite jaunt for tourists. From foreigners to locals, we are witnessing a good rush of people who click selfies and shoot Instagram reels. We are getting good feedback from the tourists who have seen lavender farms for the first time,” said an official from Pahalgam Development Authority.
Seeing the interest of tourists, travel agents of Kashmir have started taking curated tours to these lavender farms for the first time this year.
“Lavender tours are very common in Europe and we too have started this activity for the tourists. There are numerous lavender farms in Bhijbehara, which present a beautiful view. Tourists loved visiting these farms where they have their lunch and experience the purple bloom,” said Usman Ahmad of Kashmir Walks.
Ahmad said the response of the tourists has been satisfactory. “We get queries from our clients, especially about these lavender farms. Even those tourists who are already stationed in Ladakh and Gurez want to visit Lavender farms in Kashmir,” he said.
Director Agriculture Chowdary Mohammad Iqbal said Kashmir being one of the favorite tourist destinations has immense potential for ornamental plants and floriculture.
Lavender is an aromatic flowering plant cultivated extensively across temperate regions for ornamental use or as a culinary herb. In Jammu and Kashmir, the crop is grown in all 20 districts
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