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

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Published - October 29, 2026 10:08 pm IST - Srinagar

Image used for representational purposes only. | Photo Credit: ANI

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.

Also read | Why are apple traders in J&K worried? | Explained

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.