Ornamental Nursery

Department:
KVK Srinagar
Background Information:
Location:
Foreshore Road Doji Mohalla, Habak, 190006, Srinagar, J&K
Beneficiary Details:
Name: Farooz Ahmad Doji
Contact Information: The Golden Hands, Foreshore Road Doji Mohalla, Habak, 190006, Srinagar, J&K, 9018090705

Objectives:
Farooz Ahmad, an entrepreneur in the ornamental nursery industry, sets his sights
on a variety of goals aimed at achieving success and making positive impact in his selected
field of entrepreneurship. Being passionate about ornamental plants has set number of
objectives for himself Viz Business Growth, Quality and Variety, Customer Satisfaction,
Sustainability, Innovations, Community Engagements etc.
Description of the Initiative:
Overview:
Initially, Mr. Farooz Ahmad Doji was running this unit on very low returns because of less
productivity out of all production areas. However, upon connecting with KVK Srinagar, all
the technical challenges were promptly addressed, leading to a sharp surge in the annual
production and sales

Implementation Process:

The entrepreneur's difficulties were tackled through a series of farmer scientist
interactions, Demonstrations (FLDs), Hands on trainings, diagnostic visits etc.
covering major issues such as production, finance, and technical matters.

Stakeholders Involved:
KVK Srinagar, SKUAST-K, Department of Floriculture

Duration:
Nov. 2022 to March 2024

Innovations and Best Practices:

• Use of PGR for rooting of ornamental plants for enhanced propagation coefficient.
• Use of soilless media for raising of hybrid annual flower nursery.
• Transplanting of optimum aged (20 days) hybrid annuals into polybags.
• Fungicidal Drenching of nursery (Hybrid annual nursery) for early redressal of
• nursery diseases like Damping off etc.
• Use of shade house for hardening of nursery plants before sale.

Results and Impact:
Quantitative Outcomes:

• Following various interventions by the KVK, the scale of the business experienced significant growth in terms of both production and annual returns. Prior to the interventions, annual returns were in the range of 8-10 lakhs, which increased to 25-30 lakhs post-intervention.
• Qualitative Outcomes:
• Presently due to the increased net income Mr. Farooz Ah Doji is diversifying
• his business in an IFS based model and entered in the production of Hybrid
• vegetable seedling production and is planning to start dairy business along
• with duckery.
• Mr. Farooz Ah Doji up scaled his skill as he got qualified in RPL program
• (Nursery Worker) sponsored by Agricultural Skill Council of India (ASCI)
• Sustainability:
• Ensuring the sustainability of the results achieved, involves setting and tracking
• specific, monitorable indicators. These indicators help assess the ongoing health and
• success of the nursery while promoting environmentally responsible practices. Here
• are some key monitorable indicators:
• Plant Health and Quality
• Environmental Impact
• Waste Management
• Biodiversity and Conservation
• Economic Performance: Year-over-year increase in sales and profitability.
• Customer Satisfaction: Customer feedback and repeat business rates.
• Employee Well-being: Job satisfaction, training opportunities, workplace safety etc.
• Community Engagement: Participation in local events, educational workshops, and
• partnerships with community organizations.
• Sustainable Practices Adoption: Use of organic fertilizers, pest control methods, soil
• amendments and reuse of nursery materials.
• Customer and Market Response: Trends in customer preferences for sustainably
• grown plants.

Challenges Faced:
Problems and Challenges:
The initial problems and challenges faced by the entrepreneur for
setting up ornamental nursery likely revolved around several key
aspects:

• Plant Cultivation and Care Knowledge:
• Location Selection:
• Resource Management and Investment:
• Market Research and Demand Analysis
• Seasonal and Weather Challenges:
• Competition and Differentiation:

Solution:
Initially, Mr. Farooz Ahmad Doji was running this unit on very low returns because of less
productivity out of all production areas. However, upon connecting with KVK Srinagar, all
the technical challenges were promptly addressed, weather it was low propagation
coefficient, low germination in hybrid annual nursery, disease incidence etc. leading to a
sharp surge in the annual production and net returns.

Lessons Learned:
Key lessons learned during the implementation of the initiative were timely
implementation of the interventions, use of method demonstrations instead of
theoretical lectures etc.

Future Plans:
Future plan for scaling up is to prepare Mr. Farooz Ah Doji for production of Instant
Plant Nursery (Full Grown Plants)
Further this initiative shall be replicated with other nursery growers as well.

Visuals:
Attach geo tagged photographs, to support the story.

Contact Information:
Dr. Gazanfer Gani
Contact details: gazanfer.yatoo@gmail.com, 7006384481

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