Civil society, experts urge orchardists to follow healthy practices for disposing left over apples

Pulwama : Civil Society members and experts from horticulture department have advised orchardists for following healthy practices for disposing left over apples from their orchids.
The reaction came after some farmers from different parts of Kashmir started throwing the apples in streams, brooks, along roadside and grazing land.
Ghulam Mohammad Dar, a member of civil society from Pulwama, told Rising Kashmir that common practice followed by orchardists across Kashmir is that they dump left over apple in streams or in grazing lands near the orchids.
“We as orchardists make it sure to lift left over and rotten apples from our orchids, we ensure sanitation of our orchid but throwing these infected waste material in a stream, along pathways or roads or on patches of grazing land is an unhealthy and unhygienic practice,” he said.
Tahir Hussain, an environmentalist told Rising Kashmir that this unhealthy practice keeps the causative agents , various fungal and bacterial diseases in the surroundings.
“ These diseases causing fungi will return to the orchid through wind, water or other biological carriers like grazing animals and birds,” he said, adding that the rotting of apple in open places cause nuisance in the area.
These open dumping spots become source of infections carried to different places by flies and other carriers.
He also told that throwing apples in streams impact properties of water and render it unfit for drinking.
“ This also causes clocking and choking of streams,” he said.
He said that better way is to follow biodegradation of left over apples. He recommended covering the left over with a layer of soil to make compost from it.
Chief Horticulture Officer, Pulwama, Javid Ahmad Bhat, said that left over apple is an organic matter which an orchardist can use as compost.
“ The best way to dispose the left over apple is that they be collected at one place and buried in a pit, they will decompose and turn into compost which can be used to increase fertility of land,” he said, adding that unhealthy practice of throwing left over apple here and there causes soil, water and air pollution .
He said that this unhealthy practice must be avoided.