NITI Aayog Roadmap Highlights Productivity Gaps, Rs 1,500 Crore Losses In Jammu Kashmir's Horticulture
Apples dominate Jammu and Kashmir horticulture with 50% area and 77% output, but declining productivity and heavy losses raise concerns, reports Surabhi Gupta.
Published : April 8, 2026 at 8:02 PM IST
New Delhi: A detailed roadmap for transforming the horticulture sector in Jammu and Kashmir has flagged significant structural gaps, including stagnant productivity, high post-harvest losses and rising import dependence, even as the region continues to dominate India’s fruit economy.
The report, released by NITI Aayog in the presence of its Vice Chairperson Suman Bery, Member Ramesh Chand and CEO Nidhi Chhibber, outlines a long-term strategy to strengthen productivity, value addition and exports, with a phased implementation plan extending to 2047.
About apple productivity
The backbone of Jammu and Kashmir’s apple-based economy continues to decline at an alarming rate. It was predicted that apple productivity will fall by as much as 77 per cent from now until 2022–23, thus raising concerns regarding the long-term sustainability of the region’s apple production as well as potential issues from an extended period without adequate yields from apple trees.
Overall growth in the industry has taken place primarily by way of an increase in cultivated land rather than through improved yields; however, there is no longer enough available land resources to allow for that type of growth. Moving forward, the only way to continue increasing horticultural production will be making use of modern technologies and company-driven solutions for increasing apple tree yield through new varieties of trees that are genetically superior and other means of developing high-density (high-volume) planting systems and rejuvenating previously planted trees (properly maintaining the trees). This trend is called precision agriculture.
Walnuts continue to be the leading dry-fruit production crop in Jammu and Kashmir, comprising approximately 93 per cent of the region’s total cultivated area for dry fruit and contributing to approximately 12 per cent of the area’s total production of fruit.
While the dry-fruit industry in the Union Territory has a substantial existing base in terms of existing production, its relatively small market share globally limits its potential to grow within the greater dry-fruit sector compared to other global participants in dry-fruit production, particularly for domestic consumption.
Similarly, walnut yields place the region in a “second-tier” global position, indicating scope for further improvement.
Rs 1500 crore in annual losses
The large scale of post-harvest losses is one of the most surprising findings reported in the report. The annual post-harvest losses for both apples and vegetables are roughly 500,000 tonnes, leading to economic losses of approximately Rs 1,500 crore and Rs 1,560 crore, respectively.
Cherries are the fruit with the largest proportionate post-harvest loss at approximately 40-49 per cent because they are highly perishable and rely heavily on limited cold chain infrastructure to transport them.
Some of the factors for the post-harvest losses can be attributed to the lack of proper storage, transportation and processing infrastructure. There are 2,247 registered food processing units in the region; however, only 39 per cent of the registered units (872) processed fruits and vegetables by value.
Further, the total value of food processed as edible oil in our region is 35.4 per cent. The spices processed constitute 20.9 per cent of the total processed food volume, while fruits and vegetables processed together constitute only 20.3 per cent of the total processed food volume. Consequently, the horticultural sector lacks the development of value-added processing.
Rising demand and reliance on imported products
The demand side also suggests that fruit and dried fruit consumption is experiencing a steady increase throughout India, from 2011-12 to 2023-24, with relatively faster growth occurring in rural areas of the country. The increasing health consciousness of consumers has led to a corresponding increase in household expenditures on fruits.
At the same time, domestic supplies are failing to grow to keep pace with demand. India has now become the sixth largest importer of apples in the world, and imports continue to make up a growing share of overall consumption. The apple trade deficit in India has increased substantially, from $108 million in 2010 to $404 million in 2010.
With walnut imports increasing and the trade balance going from a surplus to a deficit, walnuts have also reversed their trend. Almond imports have also increased at an average growth rate of roughly 11 per cent each year, making India the top almond-importing country in the world (whole).
Since 2018, saffron has transitioned from being an export commodity to an import commodity, both in terms of volume and in terms of value, with imports now accounting for more than half of all saffron sales in Jammu and Kashmir.
‘Operation Golden Greens’ & cluster-based strategy
To address these challenges, the report suggests a cluster-based approach to horticultural agricultural transformation. The main objective of this approach is to designate specific geographical production areas within each area in which a specific type of horticulture crop should be produced (by district). Walnuts and apples create multiple clusters, while saffron is produced in only selected districts such as Kishtwar and Pulwama.
The central piece of the roadmap is the ‘Operation Golden Greens’ mission, which has been created to transform horticulture through integrated interventions across the horticulture value chain from planting materials to market access.
This mission is focused on five horticulture sub-sectors and provides an opportunity to provide sustainability, to establish/strengthen the value chain, and to develop/expand rural livelihoods, while at the same time promoting climate-resilient agriculture.
Investment in infrastructure and policy
To achieve the goals of the roadmap above, substantial investments will be necessary to establish modern nursery operations in each district, including a minimum of 40 to 50 hectares in each nursery location that will be equipped with modern agricultural centre types of technologies, which include hydroponics, tissue culture and precision farming methods.
It recommends establishing at least one in vitro laboratory (a tissue culture laboratory) in every agroclimatic region of India; expanding cold storage capacity; and expanding packhouses and logistics systems available for transport.
To improve governance, the report suggests combining all the different types of horticultural activity under one administrative framework and modifying existing laws to strengthen nursery regulation and allow for orchard rejuvenation.
It emphasises the need for capacity-building among farmers and for the rural economy to develop; the report recommends that horticultural producers (farmers) and post-harvest handlers with direct contact with consumers receive training on orchard management, post-harvest handling, and export quality assurance. There also needs to be additional support for farmer-producer organisations and to encourage innovation among females and youth who are entrepreneurs.
The report notes that there will be opportunities for developing agri-tourism in horticulture, especially in the Kashmir Valley, with the development of tourism circuits based on apples and saffron that will generate additional sources of income.
