Etching a major milestone in the Horticulture sector, the Union Territory of Ladakh has exported 31 tonnes of Apricot (Halman variety) this year for the first time, with a major contribution from the stakeholders of the Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) of Sham valley.
The Fresh apricots from the twin districts of the Ladakh UT were flagged off to the national markets in the last week.
Pertinent to mention here, during the previous year, 35 Metric Tonnes of fresh Apricots were exported to various countries from Ladakh for the first time marking a new dawn in the export of the delicious Ladakhi Apricots. Moreover, a trial shipment of the Apricots from Ladakh was conducted in the year 2022 from various places to the other countries including Singapore, Mauritius, Vietnam during the season.
Embracing a unique record, the Union Territory of Ladakh is the largest producer of apricots in the country with a total production of 15,789 tonnes which constitutes nearly 62 percent share in total.
The region has produced approximately 1,999 tons of dried apricot, making it the largest producer of dried apricots in the country. The total area under apricot cultivation is 2,303 hectares in Ladakh.
Talking to Rising Kashmir, an official revealed that the Executive Councilor Social Welfare/Horticulture/Handloom/Animal and Sheep Husbandry Departments, LAHDC, Kargil, Aga Syed Mehdi Fazily along with Deputy Commissioner/CEO, LAHDC, Kargil Shrikant Balasaheb Suse , flagged off fresh apricots from Kargil to the national market during last week.
He said that Chief Horticulture Officer Kargil, Ali Raza, other officials and members of Krishak Agritech were present at the flag-off ceremony.
Krishak Agritech, a farmer-centric organization working with farmers from across the Himalayan States, undertook this initiative of exporting the fresh apricots from Ladakh to the international market.
While expressing immense joy and delight, DC Shrikant Balasahab Suse shared his views and contention regarding the successful export of fresh apricots from Ladakh region.
He emphasized that this initiative has fetched a significant milestone for Kargil, highlighting how Krishak Agritech has not only introduced the fruit to the Indian market but also successfully ventured into the international market.
The DC added that beyond facilitating the involvement of local entrepreneurs in the apricot value chain, this initiative would also guarantee that Kargil’s farmers experience minimized wastage and attain the rightful value for their crops.
The Chief Horticulture Officer informed that so far, Krishak Agritech has successfully exported six metric tons of fresh apricots from Kargil and 31 metric tons from Leh.
Furthermore, he said the fruit has reached the markets in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Delhi/NCR region. He also emphasized as they continue to expand within domestic markets, the unwavering support from all stakeholders has served as a strong source of motivation for their endeavors.
In view of the uniqueness and premium quality of apricots of Ladakh, there is immense scope for Ladakh to emerge on the world map for Apricot production and export.
Ladakh Apricot is classified into two broad categories based on kernel taste and its color. Fruits with bitter kernels are called Khante meaning bitter, while those with sweet kernels are called Nyarmo meaning sweet. They are further divided into two sub-groups based on seed stone color.
Fruit with white seed stone is called Raktsey Karpo (Rakstey means seed, karpo means white), while those with brown seed stone are called Raktsey Nakpo or Nyarmo (black seeded).
As Apricots from Kargil, which are known for their delicious and unique taste, were exported to Dubai and other overseas countries, it drew a well deserved recognition at international level apart from providing the local apricot producers an identity of their own in international markets.
Not only the Apricot, but other local products from Kargil like yak milk, yak wool, apple etc. have seen a huge potential in local and international markets stressing entrepreneurs to focus on these products.
In the year 2022 Kargil administration discussed entrepreneurship and employment generation opportunities with experts of PAN IIT Group and after few days of extensive research and observation in the district, the team maintained that apricot production, Pashmina processing, and tourism were the three sectors that could steer the region to more economic potential.
