Srinagar, March 30 -- Kashmir will produce tulip bulbs at its own level to phase out dependence on foreign countries, J&K minister for agriculture production Javid Ahmad Dar said on Sunday. Dar, who inaugurated a tulip farm and research centre in south Kashmir's Anantnag on Sunday, said, "This is an important project for us. Every year, we procure tulip bulbs from outside (Netherlands) on which we incur a lot of money. Having local production is the need of the hour. This task was given to Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology and they have fully fulfilled this. We are giving Rs.20 crore to develop this farm at the Centre for Excellence for Tulips." Kashmir houses Asia's biggest tulip garden - Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden - in Srinagar which has 1.8 million tulip bulbs on display this year after it was thrown open for public by chief minister Omar Abdullah on March 16. The garden, under the floriculture department , imports tulip bulbs every year from Holland, which is the world's biggest flower bulb market. A tulip bulb may cost anywhere between Rs.15 and Rs.100. The garden has an annual budget of around Rs.3 crore with three-fourth of the amount going into buying fresh tulip bulbs from Netherland. "We are now transferring the technological knowhow to farmers at the cluster level in south Kashmir. The bulbs produced by these farmers will be procured by the floriculture department," the minister said. The minister lauded the proactive involvement of the local community in establishing the Tulip Garden, terming it a model of participatory development. He called for greater integration of scientific advancements with field-level practices and the need to accelerate the dissemination of modern technologies among the farmers to enhance productivity, ensure sustainability and maximise returns. SKUAST-K vice chancellor Nazir Ahmad Ganai stated the Tulip Garden at Sagam represents a strategic initiative towards achieving self-sufficiency in bulb production while promoting diversification and resilience in the agriculture sector of Kashmir. The event also featured a one-day workshop on "Potential of Tulip Bulb Production in Kashmir" that saw presence of scientists and also progressive farmers....