The apple of our eyes
The valley of Kashmir lies tucked away in India’s northernmost edge, land ensconced between towering mountain ranges and crisscrossed by shimmering rivers. Its beauty is legendary a land celebrated in poetry and art; but beyond the serenity of its landscape lies a story deeper than the snow that caps its peaks. It is a story of struggle, resilience, and unyielding spirit. Despite abundance in natural resources, fertile soil, and skilled hands, Kashmir’s journey toward prosperity has often been slowed by isolation, inconsistent policies, and the weight of its geopolitical realities. Yet through all this, one fruit continues to shine quietly yet powerfully the Kashmiri Apple, a symbol of endurance and renewal.
Agriculture remains the lifeline of Jammu and Kashmir. It supports nearly 60% of the population and contributes around 16% to the region’s gross domestic product. But within that vast agricultural sector, horticulture stands out as both an economic and emotional anchor. When spring comes, orchards across the valley awaken in vibrant blushes of pink and white, their blossoms fluttering like promises in the mountain breeze. For thousands of families, each bloom represents sustenance, stability, and generations of belonging. Nearly 3.5 million people depend directly or indirectly on horticulture, and for many, the orchard is more than a livelihood,it is memory, pride, and family lineage woven together.
Still, the sector’s potential has remained largely unfulfilled. Apples cover approximately 3.5 lakh hectares—almost half of all horticultural land in Jammu and Kashmir—and produce revenue exceeding ₹9,000 crore every year. Yet yields have declined, falling from 2.1 million tons in 2023 to just over 2 million in 2024. The reasons reflect broader agricultural challenges: erratic weather patterns, substandard agrochemicals, limited access to technical knowledge, and input costs that often outpace profit margins. The farmers of Kashmir face unpredictable seasons, uncertain markets, and inadequate infrastructure all of which conspire to limit their reach and resilience.
Perhaps the most striking gap lies in per-hectare productivity. In countries such as New Zealand, yields touch 65–70 metric tons per hectare, thanks to the use of advanced cultivation systems. Kashmir, on the other hand, averages between 10 and 17 metric tons. The difference is not nature’s gift but nurture’s design. The adoption of scientific management, innovation, and technology has allowed others to thrive where conditions are equally challenging. This realization has prompted Kashmir to reimagine its apple farming future.
High-density apple plantations meticulously designed orchards with closely spaced trees grafted onto dwarf rootstocks have already revolutionized apple production in major global producers like the United States, Italy, and Poland. These countries began adopting high density horticulture between the 1960s and 1980s. In US commercial apple growers transitioned from traditional low-density plantations to semi-dwarf and dwarf rootstock orchards in the 1960s. In the 1980s the horticulturalists accelerated the adoption of modern high-density systems (trellised dwarf tree orchards). In New Zealand a major shift to high-density central leader system started in the 1970s and by 1980s intensive orchard systems with modern rootstock and higher yields became an industry standard. Both US and New Zealand absorbed lessons from European advances on new varieties, integrating trellises and new pruning and training methods.
Kashmir began adopting the high-density model in 2015, and while it started modestly, the early results have been remarkable. Farmers who embraced the new approach report higher yields, improved fruit grade, and a longer marketing season. The focus now lies in scaling this success through comprehensive government support programs, access to soft loans, and technical training for growers. Initiatives in drip irrigation, integrated pest management, and orchard mechanization are gradually taking root, promising to turn small farms into sustainable enterprises.
Equally important is the creation of infrastructure that connects farmers to broader markets. Cold storage chains, grading and packaging units, and efficient transportation systems can drastically reduce waste and preserve the quality of fruit for export. With India opening new trade channels with the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Kashmiri apples have the potential to feature prominently in global markets. Gulf countries, in particular, represent a lucrative opportunity due to their high demand for premium-quality fruit and the historical affinity they already hold for Kashmiri produce. Domestically too, rising urban incomes and the expansion of organized retail chains have pushed demand for branded, high-quality apples, giving farmers more negotiating power and visibility.
If these changes continue and if supported by consistent policy frameworks, the transformation of Kashmir’s rural economy could become one of India’s most promising agricultural success stories. Young entrepreneurs could build agri-tech ventures around orchard management and supply-chain logistics. Smallholders could diversify their incomes through value-added processing, such as apple cider, preserves, and dried fruit exports. The apple, humble as it may seem, holds the power to rebuild economies, heal communities, and inspire a new generation of self-reliant farmers.
Kashmir’s apples have always been celebrated for their crispness, aroma, and deep flavor, but beyond taste lies something less tangible yet more profound. Each apple is a chapter in a much larger narrative, one of perseverance and patience, of people choosing to hope even when the odds are unkind. The farmers who nurture their orchards through snow and storm plant more than trees they plant belief in the future.
When the world looks for examples of how tradition and technology can coexist, I hope it will look to this valley. The orchards of Kashmir are not just fields of fruit; they are fields of faith, courage, and collective resilience. Each blossom that catches the mountain wind carries with it a quiet promise that just as the trees keep blooming each spring, so too will the spirit of this land continue to rise, season after season producing “the apple” of our eyes.
Dawar Ashraf Mir, an entrepreneur managing infrastructure and agricultural ventures in Kashmir. He is also a fellow of the Ananta Aspen Global Leadership Network (AGLN)
