Srinagar, Nov 24: The olive farmers in north Kashmir’s Uri town have sought intervention of the horticulture department saying that poor produce have forced them to shift to other farming activities.
Syed Tajamul, a farmer from Uri said although the farmers have been taking keen interest in olive (locally known as Zaitoon) cultivation, however, the plants don’t get the proper nutrition.
“I planted trees on some 8 kanals of land years ago. I got good fruit only once in the first year when the trees were in the young stage. Now, I get nothing despite having huge land under olive trees. I have been taking care of the trees like my child,” he said.
The farmer has cut some olive trees and planted walnut trees instead. “No doubt, the climate is good. But if the scientists of the horticulture department properly focus on it would help the farmers,” he said.
Interestingly, Uri also has vast potential for olive oil production. Less snowfall and the warm climatic conditions have made it a significant place for olive cultivation in the Valley.
Javid Ahmad, another farmer from Kalgai Uri said he planted some plants on 2 kanals of land in 2008. “Ten kilograms of olive make it one kilogram of olive oil. It is a very good crop but we have not progressed in its cultivation,” he said.
Javid said that picking of the olive fruit is very tricky and light snowfall can damage the tree branches. The fruit is harvested in October-November months in Uri, the only place in the valley where olive is cultivated.
“During the snowfall in winter months, we remain awake during the night hours fearing the trees may get damaged as it is a delicate tree.,” he said.
Olive is also called Zaitoon in Urdu and is in demand In India, spending millions to import olive oil. Kashmir’s Uri belt is the perfect destination for olive growth as per farmers.
District Chief Horticulture Officer, Baramulla, RP Singh, said the overall warm climatic conditions have made Uri a significant place for olive cultivation in the Valley.
“We have a 20 kanals olive demonstration orchard in Salamabad Uri which has been there since 1987 and it was then made under the Indo-Italian Project,” he said. The CHO said over the years they have been rejuvenating the olive following production issues and they are getting good results.
The olive plant nursery in Uri generates a huge quantity of olive oil each year. It produces more than 10 quintals of oil every year and more farmers are inclined to grow olive.
“We also have an oil extraction mill at the departmental orchard which was then exported from outside,” he said. The farmers in the area have also received plant material from the horticulture department to plant olive trees in their farms and increase their income.
The CHO said they had previously been involved in the olive project and successfully grafted fruit olive varieties on native zaitoon to increase their yields.
He also said apart from the government-owned orchard, in the private sector also there are some 3 hectares of land under olive cultivation in Uri and farmers are mostly marginal.
