A Bountiful Failure: The Neglect of J&K’s Horticulture Sector

Credit By: COL SATISH SINGH LALOTRA

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28 Apr 2026

J&K’s horticulture sector does not need sympathy; it needs structural reforms of a very big nature

In the orchards of J&K, abundance is no longer a guarantee of prosperity. Beneath the canopy of apple trees—laden with fruits that feed millions and define the region’s economy—lies a troubling paradox. J&K’s once thriving horticulture sector, an important sector, is losing its economic battle to a much smaller but far more efficient rival—Himachal Pradesh.

This is not merely a comparison between two hilly states; it is a case study in how governance, policy vision, and institutional capacity can determine whether natural wealth translates into sustained prosperity or stagnates into systemic inefficiency. This glaring issue had two basic reasons for me to ponder over the prospects of this vital sector of J&K.

Firstly, I had drawn up a detailed plan to use my ancestral land near Ghagwal (Samba) by way of horticulture orchards. And second was the latest damning report by the “NITI Aayog” of the Government of India on the state of horticulture in J&K. It has been natural for many farmers/entrepreneurs to look into the details of future investment within a favourable environment, lest their efforts, time, and money may go to waste.

Towards this end, I had a chance meeting with the Chief Horticulture Officer (CHO) of Samba (J&K), Mr. Anil Kumar, and laid bare my plans of utilising my ancestral land for horticulture a few days back. The CHO Samba was gracious enough to help me out with the latest details of the horticulture sector of the UT of J&K for its farmers. But a few days later, by a chance encounter with the latest “NITI Aayog” report in the newspapers, my grandiose plans for horticulture were put paid to.

The NITI Aayog, in its unsparing report, lays the neglect of horticulture in J&K on the following few facts. Firstly, as per the report, J&K has not been able to fully utilise its more than 2000 registered food processing units, with barely 11% engaged in horticulture processing. As if this was not an indictment of its institutional inertia, the outdated machinery, archaic packaging systems, coupled with inadequate cold storage (controlled atmosphere) numbering 92, and a handful of pack houses, further exacerbate an already collapsing horticulture infrastructure.

As an example, J&K dominates Indian apple production, contributing 70–75% of India’s total produce, producing around 20–21 lakh metric tonnes annually, thereby supporting more than 7 lakh families and about 23 lakh people. By comparison, neighbouring Himachal Pradesh contributes roughly 20–25% of apple production. Yet Himachal Pradesh outperforms J&K in value realisation, branding, and farmer resilience.

I have drawn a comparative analysis of both these states in the area of horticulture to postulate the systemic failures that have been plaguing J&K vis-à-vis Himachal Pradesh. Since I was posted in the Ropa Valley area (Kinnaur, famous for delicious apples) while in service way back in 1996, I was privy to this humongous difference in the horticulture approach of Himachal Pradesh in contrast to J&K.

The consequences of the above neglect play out with grim predictability season after season. The main concern of each orchardist in J&K is to push every single box of fruit out of the UT at the first given opportunity. The logic is understandable, but the outcome is self-defeating. Kashmiri cherries, apples, plums, and other fruits flood Delhi’s Azadpur mandi and other nearby states simultaneously.

This adds to the glut, nose-dive of prices, etc. Simple fundamentals of supply and demand have gone wrong. The above gap leads to the vicious cycle of distress sale in the mandis of North India of J&K’s horticulture produce, thus keeping the orchard owners in a vice-like grip. The very surplus that should have been J&K’s advantage becomes a disadvantage also, as farmers are stuck in the heaps of their fruit produce.

Let us take the case of Himachal Pradesh and see how it is way ahead of J&K in this regard. HP has given a strong push towards Controlled Atmosphere Storage (CAS). As compared to a 92 CAS in the UT of J&K as of February 2026, HP has only 87. But even then, J&K, with a higher storage capacity of 2.57 lakh metric tonnes, vis-à-vis 1.81 lakh metric tonnes storage of Himachal Pradesh, has performed better in all indices of horticulture produce. Simply put, Himachal Pradesh has performed much better than its counterpart, J&K. This should serve as a wake-up call to the latter on the horticulture front.

The result—Himachal Pradesh apple fetches better pricing for its packing despite lower output. J&K’s prices of all its horticulture produce tend to be reactive and fragmented. Policies like HADP (Holistic Agriculture Development Programme) of J&K are recent and still evolving. Weak integration of nursery development, weak market linkages and unstable export strategy are the nemesis of the horticulture environment in J&K. Conversely, Himachal Pradesh has long-term and project-driven horticulture reforms with emphasis on the PPP (Public Private Participation) model. It has more than 1.34 lakh beneficiaries with various horticulture projects. Himachal Pradesh treats horticulture as an industry, while J&K treats it as traditional agriculture.

Let us measure both of these UT/state on productivity vis-à-vis the quantity gap. J&K produces much more but earns less, as explained by me in the preceding paragraphs.

J&K has been facing structural issues in horticulture for years. It is still dominated by traditional orchards, with slow adoption of high-density plantation, plus limited scientific orchard development. Conversely, Himachal Pradesh has been quick to shift to scientific orchard models. It has a better variety selection and climate adaptation. Himachal focuses on productivity per hectare, while shifting focus to market access and supply chain fragility.

Though both J&K and Himachal Pradesh are hilly areas and have overdependence on a single highway (NH-44) and NH-22 (Hindustan–Tibet Road), respectively, it is J&K which suffers the most in this regard. There is one image that captures the fragility of J&K’s horticulture sector – trucks laden with apples stranded for days together on the Jammu–Srinagar highway. With the absence of arterial roads in J&K, even horticulture produce depends upon NH-44, which shows acute vulnerability to landslides and avalanches. Road closures choke this lifeline. For a perishable commodity like horticulture produce, a delay of even 48 hours can mean the difference between profit and ruin.

This entire sector depends on perishables and cannot afford logistical fragility. J&K’s apple suffers from another anomaly called “quality deficit” vis-à-vis Himachal Pradesh. As an example, Kashmiri apples (Ambri) are known for their taste worldwide. But taste alone does not sell in wholesale markets or retail chains. Visual appeal, uniformity, grading and packaging determine the price. This is where J&K loses ground to Himachal Pradesh.

I was witness to this phenomenon while posted in Kinnaur Valley. The area is famous for the world-famous “delicious apples” grown in numerous orchards owned by the Negi caste. Even there, in the mid-1990s, all these orchards had excellent facilities for grading, packing and transportation being carried out simultaneously.

During this entire process, all that produce which was set to fall down on the ground used to be segregated and packed separately for dispatch to the HPMC factories at Rekong Peo, the industrial headquarters of the district Kinnaur. These segregated apples were used for making jams, jellies and marmalades. Not a single apple was wasted.

Incidentally, the latest NITI Aayog report of the Government of India must not be brushed to the ground. Rather, it should be treated as a sacred document with all its attendant directives like targeted training programmes, workshops, and technical know-how access for the total revamping of this neglected sector of J&K. Investment in processing factories, logistics network, and last-mile cold storage chain connectivity are some of the ways forward for this sector to gain traction.

NITI Aayog report lays special emphasis on collaborative frameworks like government agencies, industry, research/academia and development partnerships as the main building blocks for a functioning horticulture architecture in J&K. By emphasising entrepreneurship in food processing, supported by dedicated credit linkages, the report couldn’t be more candid and forthright in its prognosis of the problem under which the horticulture sector of J&K is presently reeling.

J&K’s horticulture sector does not need sympathy; it needs structural reforms of a very big nature. The orchard owners in Shopian, Baramulla or Uri do not have to gamble on roads, markets or middlemen. He has done his part. It is high time the system does its own, as has been precisely asked by the NITI Aayog of India.

(The Author is a retired Army Officer and a regular Scribe of RK)