Fruit Cultivation in Kashmir and Our Connection to It.

Greetings! I hope you all are doing well. Today, I thought of sharing something about the fruit cultivation in Kashmir. I hope that after reading my post, you will understand how we as farmers strive to grow crops which provide livelihood to so many people here in the valley of Kashmir.

After tourism, fruit cultivation is the second largest employment-generating industry in Kashmir. Many people here are connected to this industry, whether directly or indirectly and in this way, they contribute to the development of our Kashmir Valley.
Kashmir Valley produces around 2 million metric tons of fruits accounting for 70% of India’s total production. This industry contributes approximately INR 11,000 to 12,000 crore to the economy

This industry makes a significant contribution to the local economy, and I feel that if it didn’t exist, people here might have to go to other regions to earn a livelihood. Unemployed youth of rural areas find it easy to enter this sector, as it offers numerous opportunities. This is a vast industry involving farmers, shopkeepers, pesticide manufacturers, transporters, and indeed people from many different professions who play their part at any stage of production to export.

If I talk about the farmers here, they face many challenges. Their work begins in early spring as soon as the weather improves and continues until autumn. Their efforts remain ongoing throughout the year. First, they start spraying oils, followed by other processes that continue year-round, including managing insects and applying pesticides, fungicides other nutrients and in addition to all these the fertilizers which ensure good development of the crop.

People spend a lot of money on maintaining these crops, and not only do they bear high costs, but they often have to take out loans to manage expenses. Along with these financial burdens, they also need to spend on labor costs. Every aspect is carefully managed, but if, for any reason, the weather turns unfavorable in a given year, farmers have to endure significant losses.

After harvesting, the fruits are sold in the market, and they require proper handling and transport to reach their destination. Once fully harvested, it becomes essential to cut down some branches of the trees as the weight of the snow causes trees to break and result in a loss. If not managed properly, they can get damaged, leading farmers to face considerable losses. Therefore, it is very important to carefully maintain the apple trees which in itself is a new challenge for the farmers.

After all this hard work, if we look at the farmer’s earnings, they are not significant. The amount that the farmers spent in maintaining the crop throughout the year is more than half of what they get at the end after selling it. Yes, a few farmers who have adopted the new methods and imported species of the fruits earn a little more than the conventional farmers. It has been quite an ordeal For a large number of people who are directly involved with its production. The real big earners being the traders who act in between the producer and the consumer. The story remains the same as it is all across the globe, which is the actual producers who put in their everything in producing the crop unfortunately, get very little rewards. It’s quite disheartening for the farmers who find themselves in a distressing state even after putting their sweat and blood in the production of the crop.

I hope I am able to draw your attention towards my concern.
Thank you for going through my post. Have a great time ahead.