JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir is all set to revolutionize its fruit industry with introduction of High-Density Plantation (HDP) system and production of quality planting material.
The Department of Horticulture, in collaboration with Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) and Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture (ICAR-CITH), have ventured together to provide technological intervention for this new project. The goal is to make Jammu and Kashmir a self-reliant bio-economy by harnessing the economic potential of its diversified fruit crops.
The project aims to enhance the production capacity of planting material to 111 lakh in the first five years, develop 390 hectare of nurseries in public and private sectors, rejuvenate 2,000 hectare of orchard areas and produce planting material to cover 5,500 hectare under HDP of 12 fruit crops. Additionally, the project aims to strengthen plant testing and quality control, tissue culture and virus indexing labs besides building capacity by training 5,000 farmers and 150 technical manpower from SKUAST and the Department of Horticulture. The project shall create 200 new enterprises in the form of HD nurseries and provide potential jobs to 25000 persons.
technological intervention for planting material production, the project will generate inputs for apple, pear, olive, walnut, mango, citrus, guava, litchi, stone fruits, kiwi fruit, almond, and dragon fruit plantations. The promotion of these fruit crops on a large scale will not only increase productivity and returns for farmers, but also raise the income of nursery growers by around Rs. 1.0 lakh per kanal per year.
This project is a game changer for the horticulture industry in Jammu and Kashmir and will help to improve the lives of farmers and increase the overall income of the region. By focusing on HDP systems and quality planting material, the region can achieve its goal of becoming a self-reliant bio-economy.
