Ladakh Apricots Begin New Journey To International Markets
The UT has recently flagged off a consignment of 1.5 metric tons of Halman apricots for export to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar.
By ETV Bharat Jammu & Kashmir Team
Published : August 11, 2025 at 8:53 PM IST
|Updated : August 12, 2025 at 6:49 AM IST
By Rinchen Angmo Chumikchan
Leh: Famous for its rich sweetness and organic purity, the Ladakh apricot is more than just a fruit; it’s a heritage now carrying the region’s first-ever Geographical Indication (GI) tag, awarded to the prized ‘Raktsey Karpo’ variety in December 2022. Spread across 2,612 hectares, the high-altitude orchards of Ladakh produce nearly 15,868 metric tonnes of apricots each year.
The Union Territory’s Department of Industries and Commerce, in collaboration with the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), recently flagged off a consignment of 1.5 metric tonnes of fresh Halman apricots for export to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar. This is aiming to boost Ladakh’s agricultural products in international markets.
Rudra Goud PT, Secretary of Industries and Commerce, told the media that Ladakh is exporting a huge quantity of Halman apricots this year, with the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) facilitating the export. Lulu International Group, through its associate company Fair Group, supports the purchase.
“We will be looking at exporting to more geographies in the future through APEDA. As you are aware, fresh apricots have a very short shelf life, so there is a need to improve logistics in terms of cold chain and related infrastructure. There is also a need for value addition and processing of apricot and seabuckthorn products,” he said.
“We will be working on these aspects with the horticulture department and APEDA to export to different markets. The horticulture department is already addressing logistics challenges by providing subsidies to some extent, and we will explore how to further improve this. The UT of Ladakh has great potential for unique products like apricots and seabuckthorn, and we will work on increasing exports of both fresh and processed produce to more markets.”
Ladakh’s apricot industry, once largely focused on exports, is now seeing a shift towards the domestic market. Dr Tsering Stobdan, a scientist at the Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR), said the growers initially focused on exports but realised there is a huge domestic market. “Even in terms of exports, we are not doing much at present; most of our products go to the domestic market. Either way, whether it’s the domestic market or exports, farmers earn almost the same,” he said.
Known for their exceptional taste and quality, Ladakh’s apricots are counted among the finest in the world. In India, a lot of apricots are imported. For instance, in 2022–2023, around 1,600 tonnes of fresh apricots were brought into the country. Imported apricots are always expensive, Dr Stobdan said.
However, Ladakhi apricots have a short shelf life, which, according to him, comes with its pros and cons. He pointed out that most of our apricots are harvested from mid-July to mid-September. “During this time, apricots are available mostly in Ladakh. Being perishable, they cannot be stored for long, which makes them seasonal and fresh,” he said.
The premium varieties, Raktsey Karpo and Halman, stand out for their sweetness and quality. “The Total Soluble Solids (TSS) of Halman is about 25%, while Raktsey Karpo averages around 28%. Plus, our apricots are 100% organic,” he said.
Thanks to Ladakh’s high altitude, the harvesting season is longer compared to other states, as the fruit ripens according to elevation. This timing also provides a natural advantage in the market. “Most apricot imports to India happen in May–June, whereas Ladakh’s harvest is in July–August. We don’t have much competition because of this,” said Dr Stobdan.
So far, around 58 tonnes of apricots have been exported from Ladakh. But the domestic market is where the real growth is happening. “We have started supplying to big brands, which has given us an established platform. The market will mature gradually, and in the future, the scope will increase. Even today, we still call apricot an exotic fruit,” he adds.
Ladakh produces around 15,868 tonnes of apricots annually, with two-thirds coming from Kargil and one-third from Leh district. “Earlier, we didn’t focus much on apricots,” Dr Stobdan reflects, “but the future holds huge potential.”
Ladakh’s apricot export journey began in 2021, when the first consignments of the Halman and Raktsey Karpo varieties were shipped out.
Dr Rigzin Tsewang, Business Development Manager at the Regional Office Ladakh, APEDA, recalls, “In 2021, we exported 20 metric tonnes to Dubai. The following year, 2022, we sent 35 metric tonnes to Singapore, Mauritius, and Vietnam,” he said.
The momentum slowed in 2023–24 due to unfavourable conditions. “We could not export because of bad weather and poor fruit quality,” he explains. Still, there were small but significant breakthroughs. “In 2024, we exported 100 kilograms of freeze-dried apricots to London on a trial basis. In 2025, to promote fresh apricots in new markets like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar, we exported 1.5 metric tonnes.”
The Halman apricots are sourced from Kargil through the APEDA-registered Halman Apricot Company. Dr Tsewang said that in 2021, they exported both Raktsey Karpo and Halman from Leh and Kargil and only Halman in 2022, but from both districts. “This year, it was Halman alone, sourced entirely from Kargil,” according to him.
He said quality was at the heart of the export process, and they carry out strict quality checks and use no preservatives, focusing on packaging and post-harvest technology, from how and when to harvest to ensuring the fruit reaches customers in perfect condition. “For distant markets, we harvest at 70–80% maturity. All apricots are hand-harvested to avoid damage, packed in 4-kilogram boxes, pre-cooled for 24 hours, and then exported,” Dr Tsewang said.
Despite these efforts, challenges remain, particularly in making Ladakh’s apricots competitive internationally. Right now, farmers don’t see much advantage because the global market has apricots from many countries that are cheaper than ours. “We are still in the initial stage and don’t have large, organised orchards. Instead, we collect apricots from different villages. Add to that the manual labour, transportation and handling costs, and prices go up,” he explains.
According to him, pricing is unpredictable, and rates change depending on transport and fuel costs, which vary from year to year and even month to month. “The price also depends on the fruit’s quality, size and the area it comes from,” Dr Tsewang said, adding that while the challenges are real, the foundation for Ladakh’s apricot exports is now in place and the market is slowly expanding.
Zakir Hussain Zaidi, CEO, Halman Apricots Kargil, said that from this year, they had started handling everything themselves. “At present, the productivity of apricots is good, but the problem is that our people do not treat it as a business. We pay Rs 120 per kilogram and bear the labour cost. The farmer only has to take us to the orchard; we do everything else.”
The apricots are carefully hand-picked, with overripe ones set aside for sun-drying. Most of their produce comes from Gurgurdo, Batalik, Darchiks, Garkhon, and Gonma in Kargil.
Zaidi said the company intends to increase the price paid to farmers in the future, but stresses the need for better infrastructure. “We need intervention and a lot of work on post-harvest processes,” he said.
When they first started exports in 2021, heat was a major challenge. “In the evenings, the temperature in the Batalik and Sham belts can be 35°C. During packaging, the ripened apricots would become overripe due to the heat,” Zaidi recalled. To tackle this, the company worked with food scientists to introduce pre-cooling, bringing the temperature down from 35°C to 4°C, a process he calls shock therapy.
The company also redesigned its packaging to be breathable, with small holes that allow airflow and help keep the fruit fresh. But challenges remain. “The biggest problem is that we do not have the post-harvest technology we need, such as pre-cooling facilities, drying technology and pulping technology,” Zaidi said, adding that addressing these gaps will be essential for scaling up Ladakh’s apricot trade.
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