From fields to markets: Pulwama farmer’s success with exotic crops

Pulwama, Dec 14: When Farooq Ahmad Ganie converted his apple orchard into a vegetable farm in Tahab village of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district a few years ago, many of his neighbours thought he was taking a risk few farmers would dare to take.

Apples have long been the backbone of Kashmir’s rural economy, particularly in Pulwama, where orchards dominate the landscape. But Ganie, working on his modest four-kanal plot of land, decided to abandon apple cultivation and turn his orchard into a vegetable farm — a shift that may make him one of the first farmers in the area to move away from apples entirely. “I found vegetable farming to be more profitable,” Ganie said, standing amid rows of leafy greens and seasonal produce. “There are crops that can be grown and harvested every month.”

On his farm, Ganie grows a mix of exotic and indigenous vegetables, supplying local markets with produce that is usually imported from outside the Valley. Lettuce varieties — including iceberg — share space with broccoli, parsley and celery, alongside traditional vegetables cultivated in the region for generations. “Lettuce greens are a one-month crop,” he said, explaining how quick harvest cycles allow him to earn regular income instead of waiting years for apple trees to mature and bear fruit.

The shift has also allowed Ganie to reduce his dependence on a single crop, a strategy many farmers are now considering as climate variability, erratic weather and rising input costs put pressure on traditional horticulture.

A key boost came from the government’s Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP), under which Ganie received support to establish a polyhouse. The structure enables him to grow vegetables during winter — a period traditionally considered off-season for farming in Kashmir. “Usually there is no farming during the winter months,” Ganie said. “But with the polyhouse, I can continue cultivation throughout the year.” The year-round production has helped stabilise his income and create employment. Ganie’s farm now generates an annual turnover of more than Rs 6 lakh  and provides livelihood to two workers from the local area. Agriculture officials say such diversification is crucial for the farming sector, which remains vulnerable to weather shocks and market fluctuations.

For Ganie, the decision to replace apple trees with vegetables has paid off — economically and socially. “People were sceptical at first,” he said. “Now they come to see the farm and ask questions.”

As rows of greens grow under the protective cover of his polyhouse, Ganie’s experiment reflects a quiet but significant shift underway in Kashmir’s fields — one driven not by tradition, but by adaptability and year-round resilience.