Shimla (Himachal Pradesh): Known for cultivating temperate horticulture crops, Himachal Pradesh has gained recognition as the leading apple-producing state, which also supplies superior quality apples to other states. To study these apple cultivation techniques, gardeners from Kashmir visit orchards in Himachal Pradesh. They said that even though Kashmir is ahead in the production of apples, Himachal Pradesh is producing superior quality fruits.
Young gardeners from Kashmir visited an apple orchard in Bakhol village of Kotkhai tehsil in Shimla district to study the techniques and factors which help in producing good quality apples. They said that even though Kashmir has better quality soil and proper irrigation methods, they are not able to produce quality fruits. On the other side, Shimla with rocky soil, no irrigation techniques and difficult geographical conditions is leading in apple production.
To study this, they met Sanjeev Chauhan, the owner of Bakhol apple orchard in Shimla. Chauhan has been awarded several times for his superior quality produce of apples. For several years, gardeners from Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh have been visiting Chauhan to learn about the techniques he uses.
Young gardeners, Tajammul Hasan of Kulgam, Shabbir Ahmed Dar and Aamir Shamim of Shopian in Kashmir visited Chauhan's orchard and said that the quality of apples cultivated here is much superior to the apples grown in Kashmir. They said that despite difficult geographical conditions, the gardeners of Himachal Pradesh have been successful in growing foreign varieties of apples.
Talking to ETV Bharat, Shabbir Ahmed Dar said, "Kashmir still has a lot to learn from Himachal Pradesh. They are producing good quality apples in such difficult geographical conditions. They do not have proper irrigation methods, and even the soil here is very rocky. Yet, the fruit produced here is very juicy and crunchy."
"After coming here, we realised that we have been cultivating apples with the wrong techniques. In Kashmir, we have suitable soil and temperature and we also have a proper supply of water, yet we lag. It is time that we change our cultivation practices and adopt methods that are used in Himachal Pradesh for good quality yield."
Tajammul Hasan, another gardener from Kashmir said, "When we visited Sanjeev Chauhan's Orchard here, we found that he has been cultivating various varieties of apples. And Kashmiri gardeners are still afraid to try new varieties. This is the reason that we lag in quality production. We must adopt the methods used by gardeners here so that we can also produce quality fruit."
Aamir Shamim said, "The geographical conditions are very difficult in Himachal Pradesh. The gardeners first have to level the area using bulldozers and then they have to work hard to provide adequate water supply to their orchards. Still, the people here have managed to produce good-quality apples. We must learn from them."
Sanjeev Chauhan said, "The quality of plant materials that the Kashmiri gardeners used is not up to the mark. They are also very confused about the varieties of apples. If the quality of plant material is not good, we can never harvest good-quality fruits. Gardeners from Kashmir visit her to learn about the techniques we use."
He further said, "The soil here is very weak and a farmer has to work very hard on his fields. On the other hand, the soil in Kashmir is very fertile, yet they are not able to produce good-quality apples. For this, they will have to learn and adapt some gardening techniques."
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