Experts at CII meet flag roadblocks in Kashmir apple cart’s global ambition

Kashmir apple cart’s global ambition faces multiple roadblocks, including failure to meet global standards, underutilisation of land, storage and poor transportation. These gaping holes in J&K’s horticulture sector were flagged at the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) meet in Srinagar on October 28.

Speaking at the 6th edition of the CII J&K Apple Conclave-2026 on the topic “From Orchards to Global Markets”, Dr. N.K. Krishna Kumar, ex-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 of India.

“In South India, buyers are not happy with the quality of apples from Kashmir. It reaches there as a puffy ball, starchy and not crispy. Kashmir has a small four-month window for exporting apples and the cold chain is still poor at maintaining the quality. There has to be a fastest mode of transportation of apples,” said Mr. Kumar.

With around seven lakh farming families involved in the apple sector in Kashmir, it is the mainstay of the economy and contributes approximately 8% to 10% to J&K’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Highlighting the challenge Kashmir apples faced 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’s small in size and drop the idea of buying this delicious variety. There is no major attempt to promote it,” said Mr. Kumar.

An indigenous variety of Kashmir, ‘Ambri’ apples once earned itself a place as “a dessert variety of apple” because of its aroma, taste and prolonged storability up to six months. However, the cultivation of ‘Ambri’ has dropped significantly and vanished from many apple-growing districts of Kashmir, according to experts. “Kashmir has to follow the model of the Netherlands. It needs to think global,” said Mr. Kumar.

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 Economic Survey of J&K-2025-26, J&K requires six lakh metric tonnes of cold storage capacity “to avert distress sales and enable exports of premium apple varieties”.

Dr. Nazir Ahmad Ganai, Vice-Chancellor of the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-Kashmir), while speaking at the conclave, said, “To scale up high-density apple plantation up to 25% of total apple trees in Kashmir, we need up to 35000 hectares of land. A roadmap adopted in J&K has yielded results but needs more measures.”

He said since 2020-22, the high-density apple plantations have spanned from 500 hectares to 5000 hectares and the cold storage is up from around 15,000 metric tonnes to around four lakh metric tonnes. However, Kashmir needs around 110 million apple plant material to scale up, said Mr. Ganai.

“If we just import 11 million plant material in one year, it will cost Rs. 550 crores and will lead to capital loss. It needs attention to build local capacities to produce plant material,” said Mr. Ganai. He advocated to impose a research cess on local orchardists to generate around Rs. 100 crores annually to focus on research and plant material.

Drawing parallels between the Netherlands and Kashmir, Mr. Ganai said, “The two regions have similar environments. But we need to boost volumes to stay as a competitor in the global market. We have to adopt good agricultural practices and maintain quality of produce. Our cost of production remains higher and needs introduction of technology. A buyer wants to know where an apple has been grown, and under conditions. We have to aim at pesticide-free apples,” said Mr. Ganai. “To take apples to the global market is a long but an ambitious journey,” he added.

According to Mr. Ganai, the total worth of agriculture and horticulture produce of J&K stands at Rs. 37,000 crores, which is around four billion US dollars. “J&K has a potential of around 80 billion dollars. The Netherlands is as big as J&K and the second largest food producing region in the world. It exports agricultural products and goods worth Rs. 100 billion dollars compared to 50 billion produced by India, in spite of diverse agro ecological conditions,” said Mr. Ganai.

Speaking on the occasion, Javid Ahmad Dar, Minister for Agriculture Production, also underscored the need for “a comprehensive transformation of J&K’s apple industry through technological innovations, precision horticulture, smart farming and improved market connectivity”.

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

Dawar Ashraf Mir, Convener, CII J&K, said such events were aimed at putting a spotlight on the apple sector and suggesting measures to fine tune the policy in J&K.