J&K govt plans plantation of high density apple trees

SRINAGAR: As J&K’S biggest trade fruit industry is passing through rough patch especially after the heavy damages caused by untimely snowfall in November and post abrogation of Article 370, the J&K government is now planning to go for a massive plantation of high density apple trees which is going to give boost to the fruit industry.

Officials say that untimely snowfall could have caused losses or damage to 35 % apple trees especially the mature fruityielding trees which could significantly drop production of apples in Kashmir in coming years. Last year more than 22 lakh metric tonne of fruit was exported from Kashmir to several fruit mandies. This year, despite the uneasy situation especially after special status of J&K was removed which saw restrictions, protests and attacks on apple-laden trucks and killing of truck drivers, more than 15 lakh metric tons of fruit has been dispatched across the country, so far.

The J&K government has now decided to establish ultra high density orchards in Kashmir, these orchards officials say could accelerate the fruit yield with next few years.

“Ten thousand hectares have been earmarked for the establishment of ultra high density orchards with the help of high tech farming system in next three years,’’ said director horticulture, Ajaz Ahmad Bhat told

Hindustan Times. He said 3.50 crore fruit plants will be propagated in public private sector nurseries after planting 4 crore root stocks.

“Since 2017, 350 hectares of land has been converted into ultra high-density orchards. If everything goes according to plan in next three years we will have more than 3.50 crore ultra high-density plants across Kashmir in new orchards.’

He said that plantation of high density trees could give boast to our production. “The high density trees could be safeguarded by hail nets and production is seven to eight times more per hectare what we are yielding with our old techniques.’’

Officials say that China is currently top producer of apple in the world followed by the United States. “Despite our land is more under apple cultivation than US, still we are behind in the apple production than them. The production will go significantly high once we started going for high density plantation,’’ Bhat said.

In last two years, meagre two hundred hectares of apple orchards were converted into high density orchards. Though, J&K government during the rule of PDP-BJP had formulated a roadmap of converting at least one lakh hectares into high density plantation with five to seven years. However, the translation from routine to high density orchards is going at snail’s pace.

“They (officials) are selling us dreams. The truth is that practically government has just converted 100 hectares of orchards