Apple Harvest Boosts Farmers' Earnings In Jammu and Kashmir Amid Market Uncertainty

Jammu and Kashmir’s apple harvest sees a 30% price rise, but growers fear decline as Kashmir apples flood markets, reports ETV Bharat’s Mohd Ashraf Ganie.

Jammu: In Jammu and Kashmir, the apple harvest this season is proving to be highly beneficial for farmers, as the yield is being sold at approximately a 30% higher rate compared to last year. At the largest fruit market in Jammu, Narwal Fruit Market, a box of apples is being sold for Rs 1,000 while some varieties of apples are being sold for Rs 700 per box. Apple growers are hopeful that prices will continue to rise, but they also fear a potential drop in prices once apples from Kashmir flood the markets in the country.

According to Mohammad Muqsood Alam, a trader from Bihar, "The rates of apples here are better than other fruit markets across the country. We are purchasing the Kashmir apples from Jammu Fruit Mandi and we are then selling these apples in Bihar."

The price of apples from Kashmir this season is about 20% higher than in 2023, which is undoubtedly benefiting the farmers. However, an elderly Walnut seller Gulam Mohd Bhat of Shopian Kashmir is not happy selling walnuts in Jammu Fruit Mandi, Bhat says I came from Kashmir to sell walnuts in Jammu Fruit Mandi, but the rates are low for walnuts in Jammu as compared to Kashmir."

Jammu-based trader Raj Kumar Gupta noted that apple quality declined this year due to climate changes, though prices improved, suggesting each box should get Rs 1,800 instead of Rs 1,000.

He believes that Kashmiris love to cultivate apples, but are not getting its remunerative prices in the market. Some traders, who buy apples directly from orchard owners, are sending them straight to the Delhi markets, where a box is being sold for Rs 1,400 to Rs 1,500.

It's worth mentioning that more than half of Kashmir's population is directly or indirectly involved in the horticulture industry worth Rs 10,000 crore. The annual apple production is approximately 2.1 million metric tonnes, grown on 145,000 hectares of land. Kashmir accounts for around 75% of India's total apple production, making it a crucial part of the region's economy, contributing about 8.2% to Jammu and Kashmir's GDP.