major horticultural crops of J&K UT.pptx

Amongst the major fruit crops grown in Jammu & Kashmir, apple and walnut lead the charts in production, yield per hectare and the total area. The government has to bring out a holistic policy to support each crop from the production to the marketing level. The horticultural sector in J&K UT holds immense potential for economic growth and rural development. By leveraging its diverse agro-climatic conditions and addressing key challenges, the region can enhance the productivity and profitability of horticultural crops, thereby improving the livelihoods of farmers and contributing to overall food security and sustainability.

1. Major Horticultural Crops of the J&K UT: Opportunities & Challenges PROF. (DR.) PARSHANT BAKSHI HEAD, FRUIT SCIENCE, SKUAST-JAMMU

2. Speaker Introduction ✉ [email protected] 📞 +91 - 9419101601 https://www.krishisandesh.com Dr. Parshant Bakshi , Professor & Head, Fruit Science and Head, Centre for Organic and Natural Farming, SKUAST-Jammu , J&K UT, India is having more than 20 years of experience in research, teaching & extension activities. He visited Israel, China, Indonesia and Thailand. Dr. Bakshi is having more than 120 publications in national and international journals of repute. He has been adjudged for best poster and oral presentation at various national and International platforms. He has guided 14 research students (08 M.Sc. and 06 Ph.D.) as chairman and 54 as co-chairman and authored 8 books and 9 manuals. He handled 03 externally funded project as P.I. and 14 as Co-P.I. He is the life member of 12 societies of Horticulture and is the fellow of Hi-Tech Horticultural Society. He has RG score of 25.64; h-index 14.0 and planted 12,000+ fruit plants under Save Horticulture mission and awarded. The Walk and Talk video in Strawberry and Citrus was awarded Best Video by MANAGE in 2022 and 2024, respectively. He released varieties of mango (01), walnut (02) and lemon (01).

3. In Jammu and Kashmir, 68 percent of the population is dependent on agriculture with involvement of nearly 16-18 lakh families, thus clearly demonstrating its dominance in the economic sector of the Union Territory. With respect to the agro-climate and historical factors, horticulture is the dominant most sector in agriculture, contributing nearly 8 per cent of the total Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of the Union Territory . In terms of employment, nearly 33-34 lakh people are involved directly or indirectly with the sector. Among the horticultural crops, mango, guava, citrus, litchi, apple , pear, walnut, almonds, cherry, apricot, pear, plum and peach are major fruit plants grown in this region alongwith strawberry, dragon. INTRODUCTION

4. The funds are allocated to the department under State Plan (CAPEX Budget) and Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) for area expansion under horticultural crops. By the Directorate of Horticulture, Govt. of Jammu & Kashmir, in 1970-71, the total area under horticultural crops was 0.48 lakh ha which has now increased to 2.12 lakh ha (2022). It shows that cultivation of these crops has increased rapidly with time. The annual export has reached 70 billion from the fruits alone (2022). According to the Directorate of Horticulture, J&K, only apple cultivation provides job opportunities to more than 3.5 lakhs of families . AREA AND PRODUCTION

5. Mango is very delicious and loved fruit in J&K UT. The area under mango cultivation 14174.74 Hectares in 2021-22 with the production of 31293.9 Metric tonnes in the respective year. Mangoes from the state of Jammu and Kashmir accounted for over 612 million Indian rupees in the Indian economy in fiscal year 2021. This value was higher than the previous year's contribution of mangoes from the state. Citrus are grown in every state of India, but the leading producers are Andhra Pradesh, Telangana , Maharashtra, Assam and Karnataka. Andhra Pradesh is one of the important citrus producing states in the country. In J&K, Citrus occupies 15139.22 Hectares of area and 32109 Metric tonnes of production in 2021-22. Kathua is leading district in citrus production.

6. Domination of Apple Crop Apple crop is one of the highly profitable economic activity in Jammu and Kashmir. 75% of the total apples in India are cultivated in Kashmir. Majority of apple orchards in Kashmir are located in Shopian, Baramulla, Ganderbal, Kupwara, Kulgam , and Anantnag districts. Owing to the superior quality as well as high production and productivity of apples in J&K than the other states, the cultivation of apple generates 80 percent of the output value and generates 20 lakh employment (75 percent of the total horticultural employment) in the Union Territory. Apple crop contributes nearly 50 percent of the total area under fruit crops and contributes significantly to the economic and ecological development, employment generation, export and nutritional requirement of the people of the state as well as of the country as a whole.

7. Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand -the major producers of apple in the country, contribute with 60 percent, 21 percent and 7 percent of the total production of apple in the country. In wholesome analysis, Apple clearly leads all the charts in terms of area, production and yield per hectare among the major agricultural crops produced in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir . In other words, apple represents the fruit industry of Jammu and Kashmir, representing 60-70 percent of the total fruit production in the Union Territory. Apples of Kashmir are famous in the international market and exported in large numbers across the globe. There are over 100 varieties of apples grown in this region, some of the famous ones being Ambri , Gala Red, and Jeromine .

8. The Delicious Cherry Cherry entered Kashmir during the regime of Akbar from Kabul and infact the varieties cultivated in Kashmir were found to be even sweeter than their place of origin. Currently, 75- 77 percent of the cherry produced in the country comes from Jammu and Kashmir, holding the monopoly of cultivating high quality cherry in the country . In the last three decades the production of cherry has increased from 3.8 thousand tonnes to nearly 12 thousand tonnes . Yield of cherry hasn’t increased manifolds rather it has seen high fluctuations within the 3-5 tonnes /hectare range.

9. Overall, the yield per hectare has remained at the lower side with no signs of substantial growth in the last three decades. The major reason for this can be attributed to the lower acceptability of the crop as a primary crop by the farmers, as it continues to grow as a secondary crop in Apple orchards. The cherry crop witnessed low growth and high instability in the region. The future of the crop vests in adaptation of newer technologies, timely usage of chemicals and higher propensity to have cherry orchards.

10. Walnut- The Cracked- Nut Walnut in India is one of the most important horticultural crops being exported to nearly 70 countries generating nearly 7780 lacs INR annually . Among the states, walnut is usually grown in Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh. Jammu & Kashmir, alone contributes over 95 percent of the total production in the country from over 85 percent of the area . The local, Kashmiri word for walnut is ‘doon’. India ranks eighth in the world in terms of total walnut cultivation, majority of which is grown in Jammu and Kashmir. The annual output of walnuts in J&K is over 2.5 lakh metric tons and the land under cultivation of walnuts is 89,000 ha.

11. 98% of the total walnuts in India are grown in Jammu and Kashmir. Kashmiri walnuts are famous in the world over and are of superior quality.  Walnut varieties grown in Kashmir are Kagzi , Burzul and Wonth . Kagzi is a large nut with a thin shell, Burzul is medium-sized and Wonth is hard and primarily used for oil extraction . Hamdan , Sulaiman varieities are released by SKUAST-K while Bhushan , Parbat by SKUAST-J Kashmir was once the world’s second-largest cultivator of walnuts, while today it does not feature even in the first ten. Problems faced by the walnut industry of Kashmir are lack of infrastructure like transport, power supply and packaging facilities and the absence of dry fruit markets . Additionally, there are no strategies to boost the export of walnuts and with the introduction of GST, growers have to bear additional costs. Some of the main countries that imported Kashmiri walnuts were China, France, Netherlands and UK, among others. Countries like China cultivate their own walnuts while some other countries do not import the dry fruit from India due to which the walnut business in Kashmir has suffered major losses.

12. Almond Almond showcases the most peculiar characteristics among the horticultural crops of Jammu and Kashmir . The area under almond crop is decreasing vindicating the poor health of the crop in the erstwhile state, despite enjoying the monopoly in the production of almond in the country. In 1990, the area under almond cultivation was 19.2 thousand hectares which produced 2.2 thousand tonnes of almond at a very low yield per hectare of 0.18. In 2021-2022 the area under almond cultivation was 46.15 thousand hectares which produced 6.12 Metric tonnes of almond in the same year. The yield produced by our country was considerably low as compared to other almond producing nations of the world.

13. The yield in 2018-19 was 1.85 tonnes per hectare which is considerably low as compared to other almond producing nations of the world. Year on Year, the production has witnessed highs and lows with the cumulative increase in the total production . In the Kashmir Valley, almonds are primarily cultivated in Pulwama and Budgam. Shalimar, Waris, Makdoon , and Kagzi are some of the almond varieties grown here.

14. Peach is a soft, juicy, and fleshy stone fruit, native to Northwest China. The inner flesh of a peach is white to yellow or simply orange. In India, peaches are mainly grown in the North-Western States of J&K, H.P, and U.P hills. The main districts categorized on area and production under peach cultivation are Kulgam followed by Ganderbal and Pulwama  . In 2021-2022, Area and production are 1743.86 Ha. and 2747 Metric tonnes respectively. Plum is paraben -free, sweet stone fruit, rich in proteins, potassium, and vitamin C. District Budgam is one of the leading producers of Plum followed by Ganderbal and Pulwama in the Kashmir region. Poonch and Rajouri from Jammu region are important districts for plum. Area under plum is 2802.42 Ha in year 2021-22 and production is 5093 Metric tonnes in the same year.

15. Other crops The maximum area under horticulture cultivation is in district Kathua followed by Rajouri, Jammu, Poonch, Doda, Udhampur, Reasi , Ramban , Samba, and Kishtwar. Maximum district wise production of fresh fruits was recorded from Jammu district followed by Kathua, Rajouri, Udhampur, Doda, Samba, Poonch, Ramban , Reasi , and Kishtwar during 2021–2022. The total area of 121494 ha already under horticulture cultivation in 2021–2022, and from this cultivated area, the total area of 79231 ha under fresh fruits and 39263 ha under dry fruits, respectively . Pear is cultivated mainly in the Uri and Budgam regions of J&K. The pear varieties grown in Kashmir include Babugosha and Naakh , wherein Babugosha accounts for about 90% of the total pear cultivation. 6311 hectares of land in Kashmir is under the cultivation of pears.

16. Jammu district tops in the production of guava , aonla , and litchi, with a total production of 1649MT , 1506MT, and 847MT, respectively. Walnut is one the most important dry fruit and its production is shown in the decreasing order from the districts are Doda (21610MT), Poonch (13060MT), Kishtwar (11668MT), Udhampur (9845MT), Ramban (7600MT, Rajouri (7429MT), Kathua (6152MT), Reasi (6992MT). In 2021-22, district Rajouri is the leading producer of peanuts with a total production of 50MT from the Jammu division.

17. There is a big scope for the growth of horticulture industry in Jammu and Kashmir. The favorable agro climatic conditions, topography and cheap labour offer massive scope for the cultivation of different fruits in the UT of J&K. There is also a big opportunity of taking uncultivable waste land under horticulture cultivation. In view of the potential available, horticulture industry in the J&K can change socio-economic condition of the people and can also contribute largely to the export trade of the UT. High Density Plantation Apple Programme Funding pattern 50:50 ( Govt : Farmer) Plan to cover an area of 50 Ha’s in phase-I (2016-2017). 40 Ha’s under private sector and 10 Ha’s under public sector. 1.21 lacs plants imported and planted for post entering Quarantine conditions. 67 beneficiaries (803 kanal land) identified in 10 Districts. Fields/Land being prepared for planting. 2.22 lac clonal root stock worth Rs . 1.72 crore imported from Netherland for multiplication. OPPORTUNITIES

18. Food Processing Industry: There is a huge scope for the food processing industry to grow in the UT of J&K. Such scenario will attract many entrepreneurs to take new steps and initiatives to setup horticulture related industrial projects. The activity will help in raising yield of the crop and will also create huge possibilities of employment. In the J&K, 30% (A grade), 40% (B grade) and 30% (C grade) of dropped and culled apples constitute nearly to about 50,000 tonnes which requires to be used as a raw-material for food processing industries. Thus, in UT of J&K horticulture industry opportunities are available for exploiting the potential but needs mutual efforts of Government and people. Diversification : The J&K has a sufficient scope in the diversification of land towards horticulture (fruits, vegetables, aromatic and medicinal herbs) which have a huge demand and attractive markets both in India as well as abroad. Accelerating Credit Facilities: Banks have to play an important role in accelerating the horticultural growth in the J&K. Banks should provide loans easily available to the growers at low interest and should frame simple borrower friendly lending and documentation process. Central government, banks and electronic media should launch a huge movement to create knowledge among horticulture cultivators to avail financial services.

19. In State Plan activities under CAPEX in respect of Horticulture Sector To make the sector more productive and competitive sector, the state government in particular and the central government in general have launched many schemes for the promotion of horticulture sector in the state like National Horticulture Mission (NHM) Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) Newly launched - Modified High Density Scheme and Nursery Development Scheme etc.  Holistic Agriculture Development Plan (HADP) Maintenance of Departmental nurseries /orchards by provision of inputs like fertilizers/ budding grafting material, seed, seedling etc. Nursery Registration and supply of scion/bud wood to the nurseries. To provide material cost to meet convergence under MGNREGA.

20. Training courses in art of fruit and vegetable preservations. Mobile demonstrations for in art of fruit and vegetable preservations. Tools/Spares/machinery for modern technical support. Upto 50% Subsidy/Incentive for small and marginal farmers for area expansion programme including PP Chemicals etc. Up gradation/development of Departmental Infrastructure/Assets. Establishment of Demonstration plots of strawberry/grapes/kiwi etc. Support to Soil Testing Laboratory. High employment is primarily due to farm-based labour intensive and commercially attractive supply-chain of the crop in the erstwhile state (Economic Survey, JK 2018-19, Horticulture at a Glance, 2019 .

21. Table 1: The Department of Horticulture, J&K (UT) is establishing two Mango villages, one Apple village, one Apricot village and Two Peacanut villages. S.No . Village Location 1 Mango Khour-Mallapoda Akhnoor-Sungli 2 Apple Khiram 3 Apricot Hardas 4 Peacanut Rajouri   ( Saskote , Manjakote , Doongi ). Poonch ( Mankote , Sagra , Gani , Harni , Hari , Bainch , Ajote , Degwar

22. Some key points In J&K, the harvest of apples is about 10 MT/ha and there is scope to increase the cultivation to 45 MT/ha if high-density farming practices are adopted . With different apple varieties being grown in Kashmir, the cultivation of apples will further increase and effectively result in more employment and business opportunities in horticulture. Currently, apples account for 75% of the total cultivation of temperate fruits. Walnuts and cherries face hardly any competition in the world market, so their cultivation in Kashmir is creating many opportunities in the horticulture industry for the Kashmiris. Walnuts account for 65% of the total temperate fruits’ cultivation. There is immense potential for increasing the walnut cultivation in Kashmir. With more emphasis laid on the cultivation of walnuts, pears, stone fruits, strawberries, grapes, olives and pecan nuts, there will be further addition in the employment and business opportunities in the horticulture sector for the local population.

23. c The cultivation of cherries can open up many job opportunities in horticulture in Jammu and Kashmir. The Horticulture Department of Jammu and Kashmir has a road map for doubling the harvest of cherries in the next 5 years. The job and business opportunities in the horticulture industry in Jammu and Kashmir will increase with the adoption of Hi-tech farming, high-density farming, effective pest and plant disease management, better management of plant health, use of clonal rootstocks, and conversion or more and more land area for horticulture . Additionally, initiatives are being taken to educate farmers about the new methods of fruit cultivation and soil health management, and orchardists are being encouraged to experiment with new fruit varieties. Such efforts for the growth of the horticulture industry in Jammu and Kashmir have led to the creation of several jobs in this sector. Some of them include, horticulturist jobs, horticulture assistant jobs as also those of technicians, experts and even marketers. This sector has been and shall always be a major player in boosting the economy of J&K and creating new job openings and business opportunities for the local population of this region.

24. Horticultural industry is significantly contributing to the J&K economy, but yet there are many constraints which becomes a challenge for further growth of this industry. Rejuvenation of old and senile orchards or Replacement of old/senile/flood affected orchards by High Density Plants under PMDP. Nurseries are being upgraded to ensure the availability of quality plant material. Low Productivity: Over the last decade the UT of J&K has witnessed continuous increase in the horticultural area but still J&K is facing low productivity of almost all the horticultural crops. Ravage of pests and diseases is the main reason for low productivity. They not only decrease the productive capacity of the trees but also harmfully affect the quality and size of the crops. Non-availability of quality planting material, low implementation of modern techniques, poor pollination, high cost of cultivation and shortage of skilled labours etc. are the other reasons for low productivity of horticulture crops in J&K . CHALLENGES

25. Lack of Proper Irrigation Facilities: This is another major weakness for horticulture growers in the UT of J&K. Irrigation helps in the growth of the fruit trees and protects them from the minor diseases. As per average of last 5 years, it is estimated that irrigation facility is only accessible to 43.4 per cent of the net sown area and the remaining part 56.6 per cent is dependent on rain fed . Deficiency of proper irrigation results in low yield, poor size and colour of crops that created abundant losses to the cultivators. Inadequate Transport Facilities: It is another hurdle for the horticulture growers in Jammu and Kashmir. The railway facilities in the UT of J&K are only available up to Jammu region. The “Jammu-Srinagar Highway” is the main way that links Kashmir valley to the rest of India and that mostly remains closed due to huge landslides and snowfalls during rainy and winter season . This results high freight charges and big loss to the packed fruits loaded in the vehicles . Thus, non-availability of proper transportation and high cost of transportation forces most of the cultivators to sell their crops at lower prices to the commission agents. Lack of crop insurance facilities

26. Post-harvest Losses: Post harvest losses at different stages of cultivation are the major challenges for horticulture growers in the J&K resulting in low output and high cost of cultivation. It is estimated that due to post-harvest losses, J&K is losing to about 20-30 per cent of its horticulture produce . The researchers reported (10%) losses occur at field level, (2%) at packaging, (9%) during storage, (4%) at processing level and (5%) at transportation level . It is estimated that nearly about 4 lakh tonnes of production of apple are adversely affected by scab annually. Shortage of Cold Storage Facilities: The Jammu and Kashmir is facing a big shortage of cold stores for preserving horticulture crops. The absence of cold storage is forcing the cultivators to sell their produce at low rates. Lack of Adequate Marketing Facilities: There is a huge loss to the horticulture produce due to lack of adequate and proper marketing facilities. The big market centers of the country like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata etc are very far away from the fruit growing areas of the J&K. This forces the growers to sell horticulture products to the local agents at low rates.

27. CONCLUSION Horticulture is the backbone of the agricultural economy of Jammu and Kashmir; therefore, timely intervention is needed. The government of J&K (UT) has started a Holistic A griculture D evelopment P lan (HADP) to support each crop from the production to the marketing level. Scientific intervention, right amount of fertilizers and chemicals, availability and accessibility to timely usage of chemicals, proper information dissemination for their usage and adequate marketing infrastructure would go a long-way in the overhauling of the sector in the Union Territory.

28. Thank You Prof. ( Dr. ) PARSHANT BAKSHI, HEAD, FRUIT SCIENCE, SKUAST-Jammu, INDIA