Srinagar, Apr 18 (KNO): In a significant shift in horticultural practices, a growing number of apple farmers in Kashmir are turning to high-density apple orchards to boost productivity and secure quicker returns.
As reported by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), with increasing support from the Horticulture Department and rising awareness among growers, traditional apple orchards across the valley are being grafted with high-yielding, high-density apple varieties.
Officials said that hundreds of kanals of land under conventional apple trees have already been converted. “These high-density orchards require less space, bear fruit within 2 to 3 years, and yield significantly more produce per kanal compared to traditional trees,” they said.
“Farmers are realising that high-density orchards are more profitable in the long run. The government is also providing technical assistance, training, and subsidised plant material to facilitate this transformation,” a senior horticulture officer told KNO.
Ghulam Mohammad, a fruit grower from Shopian, shared his experience: “We used to wait 10–15 years to get good produce from our traditional trees. Now, within just 2 to 3 years, I’m seeing returns from the high-density varieties. It’s a game-changer.”
Experts believe the shift is largely driven by market demand for uniform and high-quality fruit, better disease management and efficient space utilisation.
However, the transformation isn’t without its challenges. Proper irrigation, timely pruning, and specialised technical knowledge remain essential for success.
First introduced in Kashmir a few years ago, the high-density plantation model is now gaining rapid traction in districts like Shopian, Baramulla and Anantnag.
With climate change affecting traditional farming methods, these adaptive strategies are increasingly viewed as the future of Kashmir’s horticulture.
Officials estimate that if the current pace continues, a majority of commercial apple orchards in Kashmir could adopt the high-density model within the next five years.
However, they also caution that high-density orchards have a shorter lifespan, require higher initial investment, are more vulnerable to pests and diseases, depend heavily on dwarf rootstock and skilled management and cannot be stored as long as traditional varieties in cold storage.
Despite these limitations, the response to the government's High-Density Plantation (HADP) initiative has been overwhelming.
Officials said the proposed target under the High-Density Plantation (HADP) for the next financial year in Kashmir is 808.5 hectares, while the applications received so far total over 6,240 hectares.
In the Jammu division, the target for the HADP for the next financial year is 535 hectares, while applications received are for 885 hectares. In Pulwama district, which has a target of 90 hectares, applications have been received for 1,855 hectares. In Anantnag, where the target is 70 hectares, applications received a total of 1,473 hectares.
Ramban is the only district where applications received so far do not meet the target; there is a target of 48 hectares, while only 22 hectares of applications have been received.
The total horticultural area across J&K stands at 344,696 hectares. Fresh fruit cultivation spans 252,257 hectares (73.2%), while dry fruit orchards cover 92,438 hectares (26.8%)—(KNO)