CII experts encounter flag roadblocks in Kashmir’s apple cart global ambition

The Kashmir apple cart’s global ambitions face many hurdles, including failure to meet global standards, inadequate land use, storage and poor transportation. These gaping holes in J&K’s horticulture sector were highlighted at a meeting of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in Srinagar on October 28.

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Dr. Addressing the 6th CII J&K Apple Conclave-2026 on the theme ‘From Orchards to Global Markets’, NK Krishna Kumar, former Deputy Director (Horticulture), Indian Council of Agricultural Research, identified the current policy failures and highlighted the deterioration of apple quality by the time it reaches south India.

“In South India, buyers are not happy with the quality of apples from Kashmir. It gets there as a puffy ball, starchy and not crunchy. Kashmir has a small window of four months to export apples and the cold chain is still poor to maintain the quality. There has to be the fastest way to transport apples,” Kumar said.

With around seven lakh farming families involved in the apple sector in Kashmir, it is the mainstay of the economy and contributes around 8-10% to the gross domestic product (GDP) of J&K.

Highlighting the problem faced by Kashmiri apples from Australia and the United States (US), Mr. Kumar said there were many indigenous varieties unknown to outside markets. “Ambri, a local variety, has no visibility in the market. People think it is small and drop the idea of ​​buying this delicious variety. There is no big attempt to promote it,” said Mr. Kumar.

The original Kashmir apple variety ‘Ambri’ once earned a place as the ‘dessert apple variety’ due to its aroma, taste and extended shelf life of up to six months. However, according to experts, cultivation of ‘Ambri’ has declined significantly and disappeared from many apple-growing areas of Kashmir. “Kashmir must follow the model of the Netherlands. It must think globally,” Kumar said.

Jammu and Kashmir produces over 21 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of apples annually, accounting for roughly 70% to 73% of India’s total apple production. According to the J&K Economic Survey-2025-26, J&K requires six million tonnes of cold storage capacity “to prevent distress sales and enable export of premium apple varieties”.

Dr. Addressing the conclave, Nazir Ahmad Ganai, Vice-Chancellor of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-Kashmir) said, “To increase high-density apple plantation up to 25% of total apple trees in Kashmir, we need a road map.000 hectares in J&Kares area. has yielded results but needs further action.”

He said that from 2020-22, high-density apple plantations have grown from 500 hectares to 5,000 hectares and cold storage has increased from around 15,000 metric tonnes to around four million metric tonnes. However, Kashmir needs around 110 million apple plant material to grow, Mr Ganai said.

“If we just import 11 million plant material in one year, it will cost Rs 550 crore and lead to loss of capital. Attention needs to be paid to building local capacity to produce plant material,” Mr Ganai said. He advocated the imposition of research cess on local fruit growers to generate around Rs. 100 million annually for research and plant material.

Drawing parallels between the Netherlands and Kashmir, Mr Ganai said: “The two regions have similar environments. But we need to increase volumes to remain competitive in the global market. We need to adopt good farming practices and maintain production quality. Our production costs remain higher and we need to introduce technology. The buyer wants to know where the apple was grown and under the conditions. We need to focus on Gana apples without pesticides. Mr Gana pesticides. “Getting apples to the global market is a long but ambitious journey,” he added.

According to Mr. Ganai, the total value of agricultural and horticultural production of J&K is at Rs. 37,000 crores which is around four billion US dollars. “J&K has a potential of around $80 billion. The Netherlands is the same size as J&K and is the second largest food producing region in the world. It exports agricultural products and goods worth $100 billion compared to $50 billion produced in India, despite different agro-ecological conditions,” Mr. Ganai said.

On the occasion, Javid Ahmad Dar, Minister for Agricultural Production, also emphasized the need for a “comprehensive transformation of the J&K apple industry through technological innovation, precision horticulture, smart farming and better market connectivity”.

“Transition from traditional growing practices to modern, market-oriented horticulture is essential to meet evolving consumer expectations and international quality standards. Improved grading, packaging, storage and supply chain management can play a vital role in reducing post-harvest losses, maintaining produce quality and enabling growers to secure better market returns,” said Mr Dar.

Dawar Ashraf Mir, Convener, CII J&K, said that these events aim to highlight the apple sector and suggest policy fine-tuning measures in J&K.

Published – 29 Oct 2026 22:08 IST