SRINAGAR: Waheed ur Rehman Para on Tuesday called for an urgent all-party meeting in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly to frame a collective response to what he described as a deepening crisis in Kashmir’s apple sector, warning that nearly seven million people dependent on horticulture could face serious economic distress without immediate intervention.
The Peoples Democratic Party leader said horticulture, particularly apples, forms the backbone of Jammu and Kashmir’s economy and raised concerns over the potential impact of Free Trade Agreements with countries including the United States, New Zealand and European nations. He cautioned that unchecked imports and tariff relaxations could depress prices and expose local growers to unfair competition, urging calibrated import policies and market protection measures.
Parra proposed that the all-party deliberations culminate in a joint delegation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a comprehensive protection package for the horticulture sector, including price stabilisation mechanisms and enhanced procurement support.
While acknowledging pre- and post-harvest initiatives under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme, he highlighted structural gaps, noting that only about 30,000 kanals out of nearly 30 lakh kanals of orchard land are under high-density cultivation. He called for interest-free loans under the programme to accelerate large-scale transition to high-density orchards.
He also stressed the need to expand cold storage and Controlled Atmosphere storage capacity to prevent distress sales during peak harvest periods, alongside strengthening grading facilities, value-chain linkages and direct market access to improve farmer incomes.
Para further urged the government to revisit the proposed dry port project initiated during the tenure of Mehbooba Mufti and reassess its feasibility in the present economic context. He also proposed canal mapping and desilting under MGNREGA and the use of Constituency Development Funds for borewells to address irrigation constraints.
He said a unified political approach within the Assembly is essential to safeguard the apple economy and protect livelihoods linked to the region’s horticulture sector.
