APPLE: THE CROWN OF KASHMIR

Nature has endowed Kashmir with innumerable gifts, its towering snow clad mountains, bubbling streams, transparent and sparkling lakes, flower meadows, colorful orchards and rare fauna have always attracted numerous tourists from all corners of the world. The age-old traditional fruit cultivation has profusely colored the serenity and tranquility of Kashmirs landscape. Kashmir, the land of fauna, flora and fruits possesses a rich history of fruit cultivation. Through ages Kashmir has remained the symbol of fruits and flowers. The horticulture industry in Kashmir has become the bulwark of rural economy in the state. This industry earns revenue of over Rs. 50 crores yearly and provides job facilities to the thousands of people directly and indirectly. Different varieties of apple produced in Kashmir are: Amri (Ambri Kashmiri) Lawrence describes it as "The most popular apple in Kashmir. A sweet fruit ripening in October and keeping its condition for a long time and finding favour with the natives of India for its sweetness and its handsome appearance." Ambri is indigenous to Kashmir and continues to enjoy superiority by virtue of its crisp, sweet flesh and excellent aroma. The fruit is blushed red, striped, medium-sized and oblong to conical in shape with longer storage life. The fruit matures in the last week of September to first week of October. American trel (American Apirogue) This variety has crisp juicy, greenish white and sweet flesh and is usually medium-sized, as a result of which it has become very popular with consumers. Oblate-shaped, blushed and patchy red with a smooth surface, it matures in the last week of September. Delicious (Red Delicious) A world-renowned variety, it is one of the most widely grown apples. The fruit is tapering in shape with characteristic five lobes at the apex. Skin is smooth, striped and blushed red. Flesh is fine grained, greenish white, sweet, very juicy and crisp with good aroma. Size is medium to large and it matures by the end of September. Maharaji (White Dotted Red) It is a large-sized apple with bright red color on a green base with conspicuous dots. Flesh is crisp, very juicy, acidic and aromatic. The variety sweetens in storage and in an excellent keeper. The fruit matures in late October. Hazaratbali (Benoni) It is a medium-sized apple with rounds to slightly conical in shape and red to striped skin; white juicy and sweet flesh. It is the earliest variety of apple available from the valley, maturing in mid-July.

Kesri (Coxs Orange Pippin) An old English medium-sized apple; it is round to conical in shape with skin orange red deepening to bright red. The flesh is yellow, firm, crisp, tender and very juicy. Its a dessert apple with good aroma and sub-acidic taste. The fruit matures in mid August.

Kashmiri apples are juicier and appealing in colour. Known for their special taste, apples grown here are high in demand in markets across India. According to the state's horticulture department, around 1.5 million tonnes of apples are produced in Kashmir annually.However, the valley's fruit business, facing stiff competition from Shimla apples and other imported fruits, is declining in infrastructure as well as in investment. Orchards are being converted into residential plots, as farmers here say the trade, which once earned fortunes for them, is not yielding enough. According to estimates, over 500,000 tonnes of apple are ruined every year in the valley. There are many reasons for this. Diseases like scab infection, alternaria, red-might and powdery mildew are spoiling the crop and growers are unable to do much to stem the rot.Farmers allege that spurious fungicides, pesticides and fertiliser are being supplied to them at exorbitant rates. Even if the production is up to the mark, there are no cold storage facilities to preserve the fruit in case of delay in transportation. On an average a truck takes 36 hours to reach New Delhi on a clear road and much longer if it is headed to other Indian markets. Apple production in the State, which involves around 25 lakh people, has shown serious symptoms of stagnation for past four years. The yield per hectare in the State is stuck at 11 metric tones per annum for the past four years while in countries with similar climatic conditions, production has outreached 46 metric tones.Belgium, a country with an area almost double that of Kashmir valley produces about 46 metric tones per hectare, Denmark 41 metric tones, the Netherlands 40 metric tones and Brazil, a developing economy harvests 38.2 metric tones of apple a season.