Jammu & Kashmir’s horticulture sector is the backbone of the rural economy and contributes significantly to livelihoods and agricultural growth. However, sustaining this vital sector requires greater attention to the availability of quality planting material, especially in the face of changing climatic conditions and growing challenges confronting fruit cultivation.
Climate Change And Growing Challenges
Out of the net sown area of 7.3 lakh hectares, horticulture alone occupies 332.7 lakh hectares. Of this, the apple crop alone occupies about 164.14 lakh hectares, which is about 50 percent of the area, while the rest is shared by all other fruits.
The changing climatic behaviour that includes rising temperatures, shift in precipitation and snowfall pattern, receding water bodies, intensity, frequency and distribution pattern further adds to the miseries, and the situation becomes further complicated due to melting of glaciers. The impact may not be visible immediately, but years to come. Lack of precipitation at critical growth stages of apple in particular and other fruit crops in general is really alarming and worrisome. The effect is more pronounced and noticeable in highland rainfed areas, especially Karewas and sub-mountainous hill agriculture, which forms the huge chunk of land mass.
Need For Quality Planting Material
One of the outstanding problems continues even today regarding the availability of desired planting material and continues as hitherto fore and is evident by imports of huge planting material. There are numerous plant nurseries registered by the Department of Horticulture almost in every nook and corner of the state. This practice has been random and continues unabated. If we really discuss their status and work pattern, we may lose the time and purpose.
There is a need to develop a satellite nursery provided with all the necessary gadgets with a capacity to produce at least one million saplings annually and distribute it to sub-satellite nurseries for distribution to the registered growers with proper monitoring and end-to-end guidance. The department should also develop mother orchards in specified locations for providing bud and scion wood, trained budders, quality spraying material and equipment on subsidised rates.
