Traditional Orchards Give Way to High-Density Apple Plantations

With demand for traditional apple varieties remaining comparatively low in the market, more growers in Kashmir are switching over to high-density apple cultivation, especially in low-lying areas where paddy land is now being converted into orchards at a rapid pace.

- Observer News Service

Growers from several areas of Kashmir said that until a few years ago, many areas had no history of apple orchards. But after a few farmers experimented with high-density apple varieties and recorded remarkable success — both in terms of production and returns — more and more people started shifting from paddy to horticulture, they said.

They added that apples are being grown in every corner of Kashmir as paddy lands are being converted into the horticulture sector. “Earlier, we never thought that this land could produce apples at all,” the growers said, adding that “after seeing the results on some private plots, almost everyone has now started planting high-density varieties.”

According to KNO, High-density apple farming was introduced in Kashmir after 2015. These trees start yielding fruit as early as the first or second year and reach full production by the fourth or fifth year. The traditional apple trees, on the other hand, usually take nearly 10 years to bear fruit and are harvested late in the season, mostly in November — a period vulnerable to untimely snowfall.