J&K’s agri sector an economic powerhouse; speakers at PHDCCI program spell out opportunities

Mushtaq Ahmed Chaya, mentor of PHDCCI J&K, in his inaugural address observed that horticulture was the backbone of Jammu & Kashmir and that expansion and reinforcement of cold chain infrastructure can increase the income of farmers in in a considerable way.

“It is in this background that the PHDCCI is taking the initiative to facilitate the development of cold chain infrastructure in J&K”, he said.

Baldev Singh Raina, chairman, PHDCCI Kashmir region, while speaking on the occasion, said that the importance of J&K’s apple sector can be gauged from the fact that J&K’s apple production constituted 80% of India’s total production, while it ranked 5th in the world, providing livelihood opportunities to 35 lakh people, with 7 lakh farmers associated in the sector.

Observing that 40% of apples get destroyed because of the lack of infrastructure, Mr Baldev said that only 2 lakh cold storage facilities are available in J&K, while 25 lakh storage facilities are required.

“Not only apples, J&K has big potential in value addition and greater income generation in kesar, saffron, walnut, peach, strawberry, pears etc. Market has to be developed. The Prime Minister wants to bring India’s apple production rank to No. 2 from No. 5 in the years to come”, Mr Baldev said.

Emphasising that there were a lot of employment opportunities for youth and the other unemployed, Mr Baldev said that more trees need to be planted and there needs to be a business will to meet the opportunities and face the challenges.

Dr. R Sharma, an agri-business specialist, noted that there were immense opportunities in the cold chain sector in J&K and that energy efficient technology was available for making the best use of the current schemes and expertise in establishing the facilities. He also emphasised on greater investment in roads, industrial area development, seamless movement of cargo and greater coordination with the state electricity board to deal with storage of power supply.

Ashu Verma from Infra Cool company said that their company had established the first cold storage in J&K in 2004 and that industrialist and leader of Apni Party Altaf Bukhari had provided immense support in creating their world class infrastructure comparable to advanced countries like USA, Europe & Australia.

Sharing his wide experience in the sector, Elyas Kraipak, representing Opportunity Kashmir said that while there are immense opportunities for youth for business and livelihood in the area, there was also a need for closely following the price dynamics and sustainability in the sector.

Viney Khenger, MD of Carrier’s said that Kashmir had an important edge in the production of pears, peaches, apples and walnuts. “However there is a big scope for quality improvement, marketing and branding. The Washington apple is being sold at a higher price than the apple produced in India. It is because of their effective cold chain”, he said, adding that reliable electricity availability was a challenge in J&K.

Hakim Khalid, an entrepreneur in agro-processing sector remarked that innovative techniques were required for better quality production and that research is a must for the growth of the apple industry.

Pankaj Mehta, MD of Cold Chain Logistics said that the paucity of cold stores in J&K was hitting the Kashmir apple economy. He emphasised on a more efficient supply chain for apples in J&K – right from the source to precooling to transport to processing to shipping, and, finally, retail. He also said that emphasis was required on green refrigerants and reducing emission of greenhouse gases.

Rahul Sahai, chairman of the Jammu chapter of PHDCCI presented the vote of thanks, while Naveen Seth moderated the program. Rakesh Wazir, mentor, PHDCCI, Jammu also participated in the discussion.