Pulwama, Aug 24: The Department of Horticulture is gearing up to introduce high-yielding and agro-climatically suitable varieties of almond trees within the next two years to rejuvenate the almond industry in Kashmir.
This ambitious revival plan aims to address the challenges posed by traditional almond trees, which suffer from low production, susceptibility to harsh climate conditions, and a trend among farmers towards transitioning to other crops.
Under this plan, a range of high-density almond varieties will be introduced in the Pulwama and Budgam districts within the next two years.
The decision to implement these changes comes as a response to the limitations posed by conventional almond cultivation practices.
According to the Chief Horticulture Officer of Pulwama, Javid Ahmad Bhat, more than 90 percent of almond plantations in Kashmir are of seed origin.
This diversity in origin leads to variations in fruit size and quality, making marketing and distribution difficult.
Bhat explained, “Traditionally, orchardists followed a one-tree pattern where produce from each almond tree was collected, processed, and sold separately. However, with the advent of new varieties from other countries through free trade agreements, uniformity in shape, size, and taste became possible.”
“The market shift towards uniform varieties has proven challenging for traditional almond cultivators who are unable to supply a particular type of almond in bulk quantity,” Bhat said, adding that another driving factor for the revival plan is the vulnerability of traditional almond trees to early flowering and subsequent crop failures after every two or three years due to adverse weather conditions like rain or cold spells
Such failures, he said, have discouraged farmers and pushed them to explore other crop options. Consequently, the production of almonds has faced a decline over the years, he said, adding that to counter these issues and boost the almond industry, the Department of Horticulture is now planning to introduce medium and high-density almond varieties.
He said that these new varieties are carefully selected to bloom later, reducing the risk of crop loss due to untimely weather conditions.
“Our focus is on introducing selected varieties that are late bloomers,” Bhat emphasised. He added that extensive research had led them to pinpoint the karewas (plateaus) of Budgam and Pulwama as agro-climatically suitable regions for the introduction of these new almond varieties.
The revival plan is expected to not only increase almond production but also enhance the marketability of Kashmiri almonds. The move aligns with efforts to adapt and innovate in response to changing market dynamics.
