`Kashmir apple with foreign twist’: J&K government launches new scheme to push high-density fruit production

Srinagar: Sameer Ahmad Khan, 34, established a high-density apple plant nursery in the Pattan area in 2019. Two years later, he started selling plants to the orchardists, which yielded him a good profit.

Seeing his success, a lot of other orchardists got inspired and established nurseries on similar lines to meet the demand for high-density apple plants.

“Setting up an apple plant nursery is a very good idea. It takes a plant just two years to grow, Many farmers now prefer high-density apple orchards. Now I am applying for establishing one more nursery under the new scheme,” he said.

To achieve its target of bringing more horticulture land under high-density apple plantations, the government is roping in entrepreneurs to establish nurseries to meet the grower’s demand.

The horticulture department has invited Expressions of Interest from entrepreneurs to set up fruit plant nurseries under the newly announced `Development of high-density fruit plantation nurseries through private entrepreneurs in J&K’

An official document accessed by The Kashmir Monitor reveals that the government under the scheme will incentivize entrepreneurs to the production of quality plant material.

For availing the incentives, the tower should have one hectare of land for establishing a mother block for the multiplication of rootstock, and progeny orchard.

As per the government guidelines, the production of the plant material and multiplication of rootstock has to be done under the supervision of the horticulture department and Nursery Registration Officer.

An official told The Kashmir Monitor that the tenders for the development of nurseries have been already floated by the department.

“We are getting a good response for the scheme. Under this scheme multiple high-density apple nurseries will be established in all the districts so that we have enough plant material available in a couple of years to bring more horticulture land under high-density apple plantation,” he said.

The government of Jammu and Kashmir has brought 252.9 hectares of horticulture land under high-density plantation and the target has been set at 5564.4 hectares. For this purpose, a 50 percent subsidy is provided to the orchardists who establish or switch to high-density fruit production.