“If everything is done with force, peace will not prevail”

Asilent revolution is growing across apple orchards in the Valley that could well propel it as the world’s leading exporter of the fruit. The 41-year-old Javed Ahmed Dar, who owns a large orchard in Pulwama district, is one such pioneer driving the change. In 2016, when industrialist Khuram Mir, who runs the largest chain of cold storage plants in the Valley, approached Dar and others in his neighbourhood with a proposal to grow high-density apple trees, he agreed immediately even as others remained sceptical. It meant uprooting some of his existing trees and using the imported seedling rootstocks to grow new ones.

Dar took the gamble because while normal apple trees take 8-10 years to bear fruit, their high-density counterparts do so within a year and a half. They also require less water, allowing for drip irrigation techniques, and less labour to pluck fruit as the trees do not grow too tall. Their yield, too, is five times more than that of traditional trees. Plus, given the uniform quality of fruit, the newer varieties produce, there is greater demand for them in the market. Though the initial investment was costly, Dar says he broke even in the first year itself and is now reaping profits. Across Pulwama and Shopian, a whole host of farmers are now switching to such high-density apple orchards with the help of the incentives the government is offering. “Apart from taking care of our jobs crisis, it has also become a matrimonial criterion for grooms, with fathers insisting their daughters marry into families that own high-density orchards,” says Dar.

While highly optimistic about Kashmir becoming the hub of apple production in Asia, Dar is disappointed with the way the Centre is handling the political situation in the state. “Honestly,” he says, “our people have lost faith in the Indian government because of the ambiguous situation they have created for Kashmiris. We are not certain what will happen tomorrow. When 370 was abrogated, why were we locked in our homes the previous day, saying there was no such move afoot and then deceiving us overnight? If you tell me there is sugar in this tin but I find salt instead in it tomorrow, how do you expect me to believe you?” Hence, his advice to the government: “Whatever decision is being planned, people should be taken into confidence and informed. If everything is done with force, it will not be acceptable—peace will not prevail. Our trust is the main thing the government needs to win.” That is a sentiment that echoes across the Valley and which the Modi government needs take note of.