Artificial ripeners endanger J&K’s Rs 15,000 crore fruit trade
Baramulla, Oct 26: While frequent road disruptions on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway caused by landslides and adverse weather have long been blamed for heavy losses in the fruit sector, experts now warn that artificial ripening is emerging as a more serious threat to Jammu and Kashmir’s Rs 15,000 crore fruit industry.
Professor Haroon Rashid Naik, Director of Research at SKUAST-Kashmir, said artificial ripening significantly reduces the shelf life of fruits.
“Even a brief delay due to road blockages can lead to large-scale spoilage of produce. Chemicals like ethephon, though used to enhance the red hue of apples, compromise nutritional quality and can even render fruits toxic. This practice is more harmful than natural transport challenges,” he said, advocating for a complete ban.
Agriculture Minister Javed Ahmad Dar echoed the concern during the Kisan Mela in Baramulla.
Highlighting the growing trend of artificial ripening, he shared insights from recent seller-buyer meets held in Jammu, Delhi, and Kolkata. “Participants expressed serious concern over the deteriorating quality of fruit, which threatens both consumer health and trade viability. Thousands of families rely on the apple industry, and such practices can inflict irreparable damage,” he said.
The minister urged fruit growers and trade associations to discourage artificial ripening actively. “It is the moral duty of growers to avoid such practices. Consumers’ trust and the industry’s sustainability depend on it,” he said, adding that the government will soon launch a crackdown on illegal artificial ripening operations. “Strict action will be taken against those involved in this illegal trade,” the minister asserted.
Growers at the mela also voiced challenges. Many said that even those who want to avoid artificial ripening are often compelled to follow it because the majority of fruit arriving at mandis is chemically ripened.
Farooq Ahmad, a farmer from Rafiabad, stressed, “The most effective way to tackle this is for mandi heads to refuse artificially ripened produce. Collective enforcement by traders and growers can significantly curb this harmful practice.”
As per official figures accessed by Greater Kashmir, the area under major horticulture crops in J&K increased by 2,000 hectares (0.58%), from 3.42 lakh hectares in 2021-22 to 3.44 lakh hectares in 2024-25. During the same period, overall production grew by 2.04 lakh metric tonnes (8.39%). The horticulture sector contributes about 6–7% to the Union Territory’s GSDP and provides direct and indirect employment to around 35 lakh people, supporting approximately 7 lakh families.
Experts believe that coordinated efforts between the government, growers, and traders, coupled with stricter monitoring, are essential to preserving the quality, health benefits, and market reputation of Jammu and Kashmir’s fruit industry.
