Farmers across Jammu and Kashmir have embarked on the journey of experimenting with Persimmon as a new fruit crop.
Persimmon, also known as amlok or Japani phal, is a bittersweet, orange-coloured fruit native to China.
Experts suggest that the wild species of this monoecious tree were introduced by Europeans in the Kullu valley of Himachal Pradesh around 1921.
Today, persimmon is being cultivated not only in Himachal Pradesh but also in various regions of Kashmir and Tamil Nadu.
Naveed Hamid, Chief Executive Officer of SKUAST-K’s Innovation, Incubation, and Entrepreneurship Centre, informed Rising Kashmir that persimmon holds immense potential as a cash crop and has a promising market.
He explained that cultivation of Persimmon is relatively new in Kashmir.
“Some pioneering farmers in Baramulla and Budgam introduced this fruit despite the lack of locally available planting material. They undertook this initiative with guidance from our centre,” he said, adding that the cultivation by these farmers is being done on a demonstration basis to assess growth patterns and fruit production.
“Successful demonstrations often lead to larger-scale cultivation by farmers,” he believes.
Shabir Ahmad Itoo, a progressive farmer from Sonigam village in Kulgam district, corroborates Naveed’s observations. As a 30-year-old agripreneur, he successfully demonstrated cultivation of Persimmon and has since established a nursery of around 1200 plants to promote this new crop within the farming community of Kashmir.
Shabir said that five years ago his father imported a few Persimmon fruit trees which are now bearing fruits.
“We’ve provided grafted planting material of this new fruit tree to many villagers, and almost all families in Sonigam are now growing Persimmon on a trial basis,” he said, adding that this new fruit resembles a tomato, and it’s completely organic, requiring no pesticide sprays.
“The tree can reach a height of 5-15 meters and consistently yields a bumper crop each season. Additionally, persimmon is highly nutritious and is particularly beneficial for pregnant women and patients with kidney stones,” he said.
