Kashmiri apple growers visit Himachal to exploring tech innovations

SRINAGAR, DEC 15: A group of Kashmiri farmers visited Himachal Pradesh to explore the latest agricultural technologies in use.
Renowned for cultivating temperate horticulture crops, Himachal Pradesh is acclaimed as the foremost apple-producing state, supplying top-quality apples to other regions. Kashmiri farmers, seeking insights into superior apple cultivation, visit Himachal Pradesh, acknowledging its excellence despite Kashmir’s advantage in apple production.

The farmers observed that, despite Kashmir’s fertile soil and effective irrigation, Himachal Pradesh excels in producing high-quality fruits. During their visit to Bakhol village in Kotkhai tehsil, Shimla district, they studied the techniques contributing to superior apple quality. Surprisingly, Shimla, facing challenges like rocky soil and limited irrigation, leads in apple production over Kashmir.
Mushtaq Ahmad, an apple grower said, the apples grown in Himachal Pradesh surpass the quality of those cultivated in Kashmir. “Despite challenging geographical conditions, Himachal Pradesh farmers have achieved success in cultivating foreign apple varieties,” he said.
He said, “Despite lacking proper irrigation methods and dealing with rocky soil, Himachal Pradesh produces remarkably juicy and crunchy apples in these adverse conditions.”
The visiting farmers expressed that they gained insights into various techniques employed by Himachal Pradesh farmers during their visit.
Horticulture stands as a cornerstone of Kashmir’s economy, directly or indirectly involving seven lakh families and contributing over eight percent to Jammu and Kashmir’s GDP.
With more than 3.38 lakh hectares of land dedicated to fruit cultivation in the valley, including 1.62 lakh hectares for apple cultivation, horticulture remains a significant economic contributor.