Srinagar, Apr 24: Rubina Tabasum of Chadoora Budgam takes pride in being a successful florist and an inspiring face of Kashmiri women.
Rubina got married at a very young age and completed high school at her in-laws home. Later she graduated from the District College with an MBA through IGNOU.
In 2006, Rubina acquired training in the cut flower business from JKEDI and started her venture of growing a variety of flowers, vegetables and aromatic plants in two farms in 2006 with support and assistance from the Floriculture department.
“The department provided 50 percent assistance for raising the structure for my farms besides facilitating me with varied species of high-value plants,” said Rubina .
“I am extremely happy with my employment-generating venture and it is my fervent appeal to all unemployed youth to start their own small business units by optimally utilizing the abundantly available agriculture resources,” she asserted.
Initially, Rubina started her business growing flowers in her own patches of land selling cut flowers in Delhi flower market. Now, she has expanded the wholesale dealer network in local markets and Jammu as well.
She added that the Technology Mission of the Floriculture Department encouraged and enabled her to start a new project on essential oils on hundreds of kanals at Bugroo Budgam.
She now wants to help other unemployed youth particularly women to grow essential oil flowers on their lands and she will provide free-of-cost planting material and technical help to marginalized farmers.
After many years of hard work and tough toil, Rubeena now prepares essential oils including lavender oil, rose oil, rosemary oil, geranium oil, thyme and clary sage oils.
Rubeena with support from the government has forayed into growing exotic vegetables to produce seedless cucumber and other vegetables in poly green houses through high tech technology. She has also adopted organic vegetable farming which is receiving good response.