Kashmir’s Apple industry is in a crisis right now. We all know how before Kashmir turned to horticulture, people used to migrate seasonally to other northern states for jobs. When horticulture, particularly apple industry, established itself, the migration took a reverse course. Labour from outside was required now to ensure cultivation of our apples. The rise of this industry was phenomenal, producing 78% of total apples produced in India. It supports directly and indirectly about 3.5 million people in Kashmir. It accounts for about 8% of the local GDP. It raised economic status of otherwise destitute and poor farmers. Those farmers who found it hard to feed their bellies could afford to hire labour for production of apples. It ensured our local populace who neither had education or skill nor land to work on their own could work as labour locally in the field. It arrested the mass migration to northern states.
Lately, though, apple industry is facing the brunt of low rates. It is battling for survival. It’s a high investment business that can only reap fruits if right investment is done. Farmers have fought climate change, diseases, economic policies and substandard drugs to keep the quality and production intact. It needs more than 10-12 doses of pest control sprays, alongside macro cum micro nutrients to enrich the quality and keep pests at bay.
Irrigating orchards is also a high investment activity because of the topography and landscape of the region. It needs generators and pumps to pump water into the orchards. The yearly inflation in pesticide prices, as also in prices of other items required, like boxes, have compounded this year. The transportation fares of packed boxes have skyrocketed owing to highway blockade. Now that the input cost has increased to more than double, the profits have drastically dipped down. In most of the cases it has resulted in loss to the farmers.
This year apples are being sold at lesser prices than tomatoes and potatoes. All other perishables including vegetables fetch higher price than apples. Highway blockade has exacerbated the problem. This has impacted not only the apple growers directly but everyone involved with the industry. This year apples aren’t even being bought through Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) which would somehow provide relief to the farmers. Farmers tried whatever they had in their armoury to make the administration hear of their plight, but their cries have fallen on deaf ears. Some farmers have warned of mass suicide if the situation doesn’t get better.
It has also affected the labourers who would otherwise ask for higher wages during these months. The wages earned in the orchards were almost enough to sustain their livelihood during the harsh winters. This chain of destitution would percolate down to those downtrodden and poor who would have to beg in the orchards to feed their bellies.
The administration hasn’t done anything to alleviate their sufferings but we as a society can contribute our bit. We can include apples in our diet to support our local population. The viral picture on social media where apples had replaced soft drinks during a feast is certainly a healthy and welcome trend. We can replace oranges and watermelons with apples. We can provide our children apples in place of chocolates and chips. We can gift small apple boxes. We have ways to consume apples if we intend to. Apples have more nutritional value than other fruits. Let’s do our bit to save not our farmers but our economy, and health, too.

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Farooq Yousuf Lone