News Topic:Horticulture

Apple growers in several areas of southern Kashmir are increasingly concerned as a leaf miner pest continues to infect their orchards for the fourth consecutive year.

The fruit growers and traders in Kashmir who had kept their produce in cold storage units said they are facing huge losses as rates have plummeted to an all-time low.

A remarkable trend is unfolding in Kashmir with farmers and horticulturists embracing exotic apple plant varieties over traditional ones.

Fresh snowfall in parts of Kashmir, especially higher reaches, on Friday has ignited hope of a revival of tourism and farming sectors in Kashmir.

Central government has amended its import policy for apples by introducing Minimum Important Price (MIP) and banning the import of apples costing below Rs 50 per kg.

The conversion from agriculture to horticulture has one simple reason as fruits bring more money to farmers than rice.

In Pulwama district, where apples and other fruits are cultivated on a large scale, there are thousands of canals in the district where only almonds are cultivated.

Farmers in J&K have been switching from paddy farming as the Union Territory has witnessed over 400 per cent increase in the area under horticulture since 1975.