SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Monday claimed that apple growers across the Union Territory have benefited from the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) launched in 2019 to stabilise prices and ensure timely marketing of produce. The scheme, implemented through the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED), has provided a critical safety net to growers during market fluctuations, particularly in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to a detailed reply tabled in the Legislative Assembly by the Agriculture Production Department, the Market Intervention Scheme was introduced to prevent distress sales and support the horticulture economy, which is heavily dependent on apple cultivation. The scheme allowed the procurement of apples directly from farmers through NAFED at assured prices, ensuring that the losses caused by market disruptions were minimised.
The government said that the initiative had been instrumental in maintaining grower confidence and stabilising returns during the pandemic years, adding that it continues to serve as a benchmark model for price support in the horticulture sector. Jammu and Kashmir, which produces more than 20 lakh metric tonnes of apples annually, depends on such interventions to offset the challenges of market volatility, high input costs, and post-harvest losses.
The government further informed that under the Restructured Weather-Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS), apples, along with saffron, mango, and litchi, have been notified as eligible crops for insurance coverage. The tendering process for selecting an empanelled insurance company is currently underway to extend protection to fruit growers against climatic and weather-related risks.
To improve post-harvest management and reduce spoilage, the department said it has prioritised the expansion of Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage facilities. Jammu and Kashmir requires about six lakh metric tonnes of CA storage capacity—roughly 30 per cent of its annual fruit production—but currently has only 2.92 lakh metric tonnes available. The government plans to double this capacity over the next five years through incentives offered under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme “Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH)” and additional top-up subsidies from the UT Capex budget.
Awareness programmes and seminars are being held in every district to encourage young entrepreneurs to invest in CA storage and post-harvest infrastructure. Most of the existing CA units are concentrated in the Industrial Growth Centre at Lassipora, Pulwama, and the Industrial Estate at Aglar, Shopian. The department said it is coordinating with the Industries and Commerce Department to establish horticulture-specific industrial estates in other districts as well, thereby expanding the sector’s geographic reach and employment potential.
On the issue of market facilities, the government informed the House that two fruit and vegetable mandis are operational in Pulwama district—at Prichoo Pulwama and Pachhar Rajpora. Both markets are functional and have basic infrastructure in place, but the government acknowledged that their upgradation is a “continuous process.” To strengthen these facilities, Rs 1.28 crore has been earmarked for the Prichoo Mandi and Rs 3.68 crore for the Rajpora Mandi under the NABARD funding window for the financial year 2025–26.
The Agriculture Production Department said that these steps—ranging from market support through MIS and insurance cover to CA storage expansion and mandi upgradation—reflect a comprehensive policy approach aimed at making horticulture more resilient and rewarding for apple growers in Jammu and Kashmir. It emphasised that the government’s focus is to ensure that growers receive better returns, have easier market access, and face reduced losses across all stages of production and marketing.
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