Srinagar, Mar 27 (KNS): Director Horticulture Kashmir Vikas Anand said changing weather patterns are posing risks to fruit crops during the crucial flowering stage, urging farmers to adopt protective measures, including anti-hail nets and scientific spray schedules.
He said the department has issued advisories and rolled out multiple schemes to help farmers mitigate the impact of climate variability, particularly during the ongoing flowering stage of apple, pear and cherry crops.
“If rainfall occurs during this stage, it can severely damage flowers and affect fruit setting,” Anand said, adding that farmers are being advised to install anti-hail nets in both high-density and traditional orchards.
He said subsidies are being provided for such interventions, with Rs 27,000 per kanal available under high-density plantations and Rs 27.50 per square metre for traditional orchards under the Mission for Development of Horticulture (MADH).
Highlighting the shift in farming practices, Anand said the high-density plantation scheme has been modified to accommodate small landholders, with a minimum area of one kanal now sufficient for participation.
He said the department has tied up with Jammu & Kashmir Bank to facilitate loans for farmers, offering a moratorium period of three to four years until orchards begin fruiting.
Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
The scheme, launched in 2017 and later revised, now includes 12 additional crops, covering apples, walnuts, almonds and other stone fruits in Kashmir, as well as subtropical crops in Jammu.
Anand said 12 companies were initially empanelled to supply planting material, of which 10 are operating in Kashmir. The government is now planning to empanel more companies to increase competition and ensure quality planting stock.
He stressed that all imported plant material undergoes mandatory quarantine for one year, with strict monitoring by district-level horticulture officers to prevent the spread of diseases.
Advising farmers to ensure quality inputs, Anand said apple plants supplied under the scheme should be “five-feather” plants costing around Rs 500 each, and warned against purchasing substandard planting material.
He also said the department, in collaboration with scientists from Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), has prepared and distributed spray schedules and booklets to guide farmers through different crop stages.
“These schedules are available at district horticulture offices and should be followed to ensure better yield and disease management,” he added.(KNS).