The Kashmir Pulse

SRINAGAR — The ongoing dry spell and heatwave in Kashmir have left fruit growers deeply concerned, who fear severe impacts on the region's horticulture sector. The sector, which is a vital source of income for many in Kashmir, is experiencing stress due to the lack of rainfall and high temperatures.

Speaking to the news agency KNO, growers expressed their worries about the prolonged dry weather's effects.

Mohammad Shaban Dar, an orchardist from Shopian, said the intense sunlight with the absence of rain over the past two months is adversely affecting fruit trees and their produce. He said that the lack of moisture is causing heavy fruit fall and affecting the quality and shine of the fruit. “This hampers its competitiveness in the market against apples from other countries,” he said.

Javid Ahmad, a horticulture expert, explained that the high temperatures and lack of rainfall are stressing the fruit trees, especially apple orchards, which are crucial to the local economy. “This could lead to smaller fruit sizes, sunburnt produce and an overall reduction in yield,” Ahmad said, adding that the lack of soil moisture could lower the quality of the fruit, which could lead to a decline in market prices and profitability for growers.

Experts are also concerned about the long-term health of the orchards if the current weather conditions continue, as most of the orchards in the region are rain-fed and lack proper irrigation facilities.

Bashir Ahmad Basheer, chairman of the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Cum Dealers Union, said the prolonged dry spell is likely to impact the horticulture sector negatively. “This will lead to losses due to reduced fruit quality,” he said.

Director Horticulture Kashmir, Zahoor Ahmad Bhat said that around 60 percent of orchards in Kashmir are rain-fed, and the ongoing dry conditions could result in undersized fruit, heavy fruit fall and a decline in quality.

“Such conditions not only affect the current season's yield but can also reduce the fruit-bearing capacity of trees in future seasons, which damages the apple trees that growers work hard to maintain,” he said.

The horticulture sector is a significant contributor to the State Gross Domestic Product (SGDP) of Jammu and Kashmir, with a share of about 9.5 percent. It also generates approximately 8.50 crore man-days of employment annually.

The average apple production in Kashmir ranges from 20 to 25 lakh metric tonnes per year, with half of Kashmir's population directly or indirectly dependent on the apple industry, according to the 2017 economic survey in J&K.

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SRINAGAR — Not all is well between fruit growers and Controlled Atmosphere (CA) and cold storage owners with the former alleging the facility owners for charging them exorbitant rates for various services.

Fruit growers and dealers accused the owners of charging exorbitant rates for various services, including cardboard boxes, storage fees, tape charges, and bin/crate charges.

“Exorbitant rates are charged by CA/cold store owners for cardboard boxes, which are quite inferior. In fact, a good quality type of cardboard material is available in the open market, which is 30 per cent cheaper than the ones sold by the CA/cold store owners,” Chairman, Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers (KVFG) Union, Bashir Ahmad Bashir told the news agency KNO.

“The CA/cold store owners do not allow us to procure cardboard boxes and other packing material from the open market. They force us to buy from them at exorbitant rates, which is unfair and exploitative,” he added.

The fruit growers and dealers also alleged that the Jammu and Kashmir Procedure and Instructions for Controlled Atmosphere Stores (JKPICCA) owners are “engaging in arbitrary practices when it comes to storage charges for apple crops.”

“The apple produce of a single party is kept in different chambers of the CA/cold store. We are compelled to store our consignments for a period of five months at a time,” Bashir said.

The KVFG claims to have held several meetings with the managing body of JKPICCA, headed by its president, seeking the execution of a fresh agreement to fix norms and uniform rates in the interest of the horticulture industry and fruit growers/dealers. “However, despite commitments, JKPICCA has failed to respond or execute any such agreement.”

The KVFG has appealed to the government to intervene and address their grievances. They demanded that the excessive rates of Rs. 30-40 per box collected by JKPICCA owners from valley-based fruit growers/dealers for the storage of apple crops during the 2023-24 fruit season be returned.

The union has sought the constitution of a regulatory committee comprising representatives from KVFG Union, JKPICCA and independent experts nominated by the government to determine fair and uniform cold storage rates, ensuring transparency and preventing exploitation.

“We urge the government to ensure an open option for valley-based fruit growers/dealers to procure cardboard material and other packing charges from sources of their choice, without being forced to purchase from JKPICCA at inflated rates,” Bashir said.

This post first appeared on The Kashmir Pulse