Srinagar, Jun 15: Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district is witnessing an expansion in apricot plantation and the farmers have become more interested in the production of apricot fruit. 

Chief Horticulture Officer (CHO), Rajouri, Madan Lal said the area under apricot cultivation has been expanded and currently there are 780 hectares of land under apricot plantation in the district with an annual production of 2,500 metric tonnes of apricot fruits. 

“The land here is good for apricot plantation. Now, we are encouraging farmers to use sprays to kill pests and diseases just like farmers in Kashmir do for apples. The farmers have also improved themselves and started sprays and they have become more interested in apricot farming,” he said. 

The Chief Horticulture Officer said that this year the area under apricot has increased and the district is witnessing an apricot boom owing to the efforts of the horticulture department and the quality of apricot fruit has increased. 

He said the apricot varieties that grow in the border district are Qadri, Halman, etc. and the farmers are opting for apricot production. There are some high-density apricot orchards aimed to promote and showcase the success of innovative agricultural practices among farmers. 

“We have also brought some new varieties in the departmental nurseries and those have been distributed among the farmers. We are also holding awareness programs in blocks and villages,” he said.  

Regarding post-harvest management of apricot, the CHO said this year some buyers from Chandigarh have also visited Rajouri and exported the fruit outside Jammu and Kashmir.

“The fruit matures early in the middle of May and is harvested till June end. The farmers also send the produce to Srinagar and Kazigund Mandi,” he said.  

The CHO said this year they expect 2,560 metric tonnes of apricot which is an estimated increase from the previous year. “Rajouri has huge potential of the horticulture and allied sectors and farmers should take benefit of the government-sponsored schemes,” he said.

Last year (2021-2022), the district produced 40,000 metric tonnes of all types of fruits and this year it has increased to nearly 47,000 metric tonnes, the CHO said.

On the other side, the Horticulture Department in Rajouri has also brought plum, pear and high-density apple varieties that are planted in Kashmir valley and made some orchards.   

“We are also trying to motivate people to grow apples and other crops and they are being trained and they are also getting benefitted. We have got a good result and people are coming forward. The people are also trained in the orchard and post-harvest management,” he added.