The elasticity of demand has led to problems of price instability in agriculture, whenever either supply or demand shifts in the short-term. Taking instance of this year, the rates are reportedly 40% below the revenue level and the growers are thumping their chests in sheer complaint.
There are several theories to the price fall. I believe in a few of them. Like supply exceeding the demand due to bumper production, limited CA storage capacity, huge import of apples from foreign countries beyond the SAFTA agreement, raising the competition bar for our local apples, poor transport and road clearance, high charging commission agents and what not!
Nevertheless, this is just the tip of a deleterious iceberg in this sector. If the steering of our produce is not oriented towards a safer place, the industry will turn turtle in coming years. And here exactly, my dear beautiful people of my beautiful motherland, is needed the C3 strategy. First ‘C’ is for Consultation. Second ‘C’ for Confirmation. And the third ‘C’ for Construction.
1. Consultation: In this strategy, the growers will need to consult the experts throughout the season for matching the international standards of quality. It’ll target the disease management, orchard-specific spray schedule provisions, integrated pest and nutrient management, training and pruning assistance; need-based prescriptions and advisories to growers. It is what an organisation like “The Garden Guardians” has been doing since 2017.
2. Confirmation: In this strategy, the grower will need to confirm the varieties he’s growing, to check whether these varieties have market potential or not. If they don’t, then he should go immediately for rejuvenation and top grafting by latest high colour and commercially viable varieties. Also, he’ll need to confirm whether the varieties that he’s growing have a good shelf life or not because the storage capacity of Kashmir is limited. If they don’t, either he needs to replace them with greater shelf-life varieties or he needs to access the post-harvest treatments. Also, he should confirm the elevation and soil type for his varieties and rootstocks respectively. This will help him choose varieties and rootstocks specific to his location rather than randomly falling into the trap of imitating self-claimed progressive growers.
3. Construction: This is by far the most important strategy that a grower needs to focus on. He’ll need to join any FPO (Farmer Producers Organization) or a village-level fruit-based cooperative which will subsequently authorise his production, besides providing a bargaining power before the market players outside the region. In addition to this, the higher authorities need to build more FPOs, promote feasible Market Intervention Schemes, upscale controlled atmosphere storage infrastructures, facilitate smoother traveling of fruit-loaded vehicles, stop illegal trades, boost local markets, close under-the-table rate fixing in mandis, promote open auction selling and buying, regulate affordable commissions for high-charging middlemen, provide subsidy on orchard inputs, tools and machinery, and ensure in making Kashmiri Apple a world-famous brand once again.
Even in this grim situation, let’s promote our produce profusely and prolifically while having a firm belief that these antagonistic winds are just to raise us onwards and upwards. Also, let us reaffirm our faith on the belief that this too shall pass.

Aarif Mushtaq is a faculty member at Department of English Language and Literature in Radiant Public School, Batengoo Anantnag. Mir Hanan Javaid is a student of Class 9 at the school.

Mir Hanan Javaid &Aarif Mushtaq