The olives in your local market may have been grown in J&K

Olives and lemons from Uri, oranges grown near the Line of Control and Jammu dates are among the latest offerings from J&K farmers. (Photo by Cottonbro Studios via Pexels)

The apple industry in Jammu and Kashmir is still among its largest employment generators, employing 3.5 million people, and contributing about 10 percent to the Union Territory's GSDP, but farmers have now started to grow exotic crops to boost their income. According to the farmers, earlier growing apples was more profitable than other crops but now the industry is struggling due to climate change, market competition, rising production costs and unregulated import of Iranian apples.

Farmers in both Jammu as well Kashmir division have started to grow exotic fruit varieties including kiwi fruit, dragon fruit, oranges, lemons, dates and olives. A senior scientist from the division of fruit science at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST Kashmir) tells Moneycontrol that any fruit variety which gets introduced from foreign countries to J&K is scientifically evaluated before the farmers plant exotic fruit trees in their farms and orchards.

Kiwi fruit: After Bashir Ahmad War started growing kiwi fruit in north Kashmir’s Sopore, another grower, Gowhar Jabeen, from south Kashmir’s Anantnag began growing kiwi fruit. She says she earns lakhs of rupees every year from it. Jabeen, an MSc agricultural economics student at SKUAST, was even hailed by J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in his Awaam Ki Awaaz programme for establishing the kiwi nursery in Kashmir.

According to experts, the climate of Kashmir is suitable for growing kiwi fruit. J&K’s horticulture department has also set up four nurseries, in Baramulla district’s Pattan, Baramulla, Uri, and Nowpora.

SKUAST Kashmir has developed experimental gardens required for kiwi cultivation in the Valley. Kiwi, mostly cultivated in New Zealand and China, has a huge potential in the Valley. The only point of worry, experts say, is that kiwis grown in Kashmir are smaller in size - they assure scientists are working on it to improve the size and quality of the fruit.

Dragon fruit: Dragon fruit is being cultivated in Jammu, Kathua, and Samba districts of J&K. Known as 'Pitaya’, a native of Central America, dragon fruit is being grown by many farmers in the region to meet growing demand in Indian markets.

Due to its profitability, horticulture department officials have been asking farmers to grow dragon fruit on a mass scale. The authorities are also planning to bring the dragon fruit, rich in vitamins, minerals and proteins, under its high-density policy to increase its production and make Jammu division a horticulture powerhouse. “More and more farmers are inclined towards the cultivation of dragon fruit, mostly cultivated in Vijaypur, Jammu and Kathua,” Chaman Lal Sharma, joint director, horticulture, Jammu, tells Moneycontrol.

Dragon fruit is grown in Jammu, Kathua and Samba in J&K. (Photo by Any Lane via Pexels)

Oranges: The climate is not really conducive for orange cultivation in most parts of Kashmir, given the sub-zero temperatures for months on end. However, many hamlets - including Uroosa, Salamabad, Darskoot, Kamalkote and Chakra - around the Line of Control (LoC) in northern Kashmir have been cultivating oranges for the past many years.

Until a few years ago, the oranges were cultivated on an experimental basis, but now more and more farmers are growing oranges on a large scale to earn profits.

The horticulture experts and SKUAST scientists tell Moneycontrol that the climate and soil of areas around LoC are warmer than rest of the Valley, which is why these areas are conducive for orange cultivation. Though the locals have not yet started growing oranges on commercial lines, many have pinned their hopes on growing oranges commercially.

In Jammu, however, farmers in Kathua and Sunderbani have been cultivating oranges for many years. A senior SKUAST scientist says that the areas falling under LoC witness less snowfall compared to the rest of Kashmir, which is why producing oranges in these areas has been successful.

Oranges are grown near the LoC in J&K, where it is warmer. (Photo by Julie Aagaard via Pexels)

Lemons: Like oranges, lemon cultivation has also taken off around the Line of Control in the northern belt of Kashmir. Rajendra Kumar, Chief Horticulture Officer, Baramulla, tells Moneycontrol that lemon being a citrus fruit is being cultivated by farmers around Uri.

Two years ago, employees from the office of horticulture, Kashmir, distributed lemon fruit plants among farmers under a backyard horticulture scheme.

Lemon cultivation is taking place largely in the Udhampur district of Jammu. Farmers in Marore village in Udhampur claim to have enhanced their income by cultivating high-density lemons through government schemes.

In Kashmir Valley, citrus fruit cultivation is mostly confined to north Kashmir’s Kupwara and Baramulla districts. However, in the Jammu region, Kathua is the leading district in citrus production followed by Udhampur and Jammu district. Kumar claims that lemons grown in Kashmir are bigger than lemons grown in Jammu.

Dates: Dates, which are cultivated widely in the Middle-East and South Asia, are now growing in the Vijaypur area of Samba in Jammu. The horticulture department in February 2021 cultivated 50 plants of dates on a trial basis at one of its nurseries in Samba and, according to the officials, the results were encouraging.

Chaman Lal Sharma, joint director, horticulture, Jammu, says that the date plants were brought from Rajasthan and the plants have not only grown successfully in Jammu but have shown positive results for mass cultivation.

The dates can be grown in parts of Udhampur, Kathua, Samba and Reasi districts. “We are currently working on plant material to grow dates not only in Jammu but also in Kashmir (in areas) where there is no snowfall. For the cultivation of dates, we require a hot and humid climate. It would take at least 4-5 years for the date plants to grow and produce yield.”

Kashmir has a huge market for dates because people consume dates during wedding ceremonies, Eid and Ramzan. For context, this year in the month of Ramzan people in J&K consumed more than 100 truck-loads of dates in the first 20 days of the holy month.

Olives: Interestingly, the Uri area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district also has a vast potential for olive oil production. According to Rajendra Kumar, chief horticulture officer, Baramulla, less snowfall in winter and overall warm climatic conditions have made Uri a significant place for olive cultivation in the Valley. He says that the olive plant nursery at Uri, which is spread over 20 kanal, is generating a huge quantity of olive oil every year. “We are producing 14-15 quintals of olive oil every year and more farmers are inclined to grow olive, locally known as Zaitoon, in their farms,” says Kumar.

The farmers in the area have also received plant material from the horticulture department to plant olive trees in their farms and increase their income.