Jammu and Kashmir horticulture faces declining apple productivity

A NITI Aayog report titled ‘Roadmap for Horticulture Development in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir @ 2047’ reveals that while overall fruit production in the region has grown more than fivefold since 1980, productivity trends for key crops are declining.

While the area under fruit cultivation expanded from 1.31 lakh hectares in 1980 to 3.44 lakh hectares in 2022, much of the production increase resulted from land expansion rather than yield improvements. Apple productivity, which accounts for over three-fourths of the region's fruit production, recorded a negative compound annual growth rate of 0.37 percent between 2020-22 and 2022-23.

Additionally, almond cultivation has seen a significant contraction, with the area under cultivation shrinking by approximately 10,000 hectares. The report suggests these challenges are driven by changing climatic conditions, rising production costs, and evolving market requirements, noting that the potential for further land expansion is becoming limited.