How Europe’s high-density apples are eating into Kashmir’s fruit economy

He uprooted 80-year-old apple trees for the promise of higher yields, quicker harvests, and better returns. But this year, an unexpected glut in the apple market has sent prices tumbling—leaving Lone and thousands of growers across the valley anxious about their investments.

“The hype around high-density apple farming was so strong that my family agreed to uproot the orchard established by our ancestors to make way for a new high-density plantation. But with the trees yet to bear fruit, prices have already fallen sharply compared to 2024, leaving us uncertain about the future,” Lone, 33, told Mint.

As European apple varieties hit the market this season, prices tumbled nearly 40% due to oversupply against softer demand. A 10-12 kg box that fetched ₹1,300-1,400 in 2024 is now selling for just ₹750-1,000, squeezing grower margins and raising fresh doubts about the economics of Kashmir’s most important horticultural crop.

Valued at over ₹8,000 crore, the apple farming forms the backbone of Jammu and Kashmir’s economy, supporting more than 3.5 million people directly or indirectly and contributing nearly 8% to its gross domestic product. The valley produces about 75% of India’s total apple output, followed by Himachal Pradesh with around 25%, and exports approximately 1.8 million metric tonnes annually, according to data from the J&K horticulture planning and marketing department.

Chasing higher yields, the valley’s farmers have embraced high-density apple cultivation, introduced in 2015-16. While traditional apple trees take up to 15 years to bear fruit, high-density varieties begin producing within one to two years and reach full output by the fourth or fifth year, allowing for earlier harvests.

To accelerate adoption, the J&K government’s Modified High-Density Plantation Scheme targets expanding their cultivation to 5,500 hectares by 2026, offering a 50% subsidy on costs.

In partnership with private entrepreneurs, the government has imported plant material worth several crores, including popular varieties such as Red Gala, Fuji, Granny Smith, Super Chief, Red Velox, Scarlet Spur II, and Gala Redlum, from countries like Italy, the Netherlands, and others.

Today, the Italian Gala dominates the valley’s apple orchards, accounting for nearly 70% of plantations, underscoring how quickly these European imports have transformed the region’s apple industry, promising better productivity and higher returns.

Poor quality, oversupply

Tempted by the promise, many fruit growers have also turned to high-density apple farming. In Pulwama, for instance, fully matured almond and plum plantations have been converted on a large scale over the past five years, a trend experts warned could undermine the diversity of Kashmir’s other fruit cash crops in the long run.

Ghulam Mohuddin Bhat, a 45-year-old apple grower from Parigam in Pulwama district, switched from cultivating almonds and plums to high-density apple farming in 2021. But this year’s steep price drop has left him in a quandary.

“Given the current prices, I regret moving away from almonds and plums, which require almost no investment, pesticides, or major inputs,” rued Bhat.

“Some fruit markets in Kashmir circulated misleading rate announcements on social media, claiming high-density apples were fetching ₹1,800 to ₹2,000 for a 20kg box. That tempted many growers to harvest early.”

According to Bhat, many farmers began picking their apples in the first week of August, before the fruit had fully ripened. “The apples were still raw inside and only partially coloured, especially the Gala variety. Once they reached the markets, buyers rejected them for poor quality. With limited shelf life, growers had no choice but to sell at low rates,” explained Bhat, who has invested ₹10 lakh into high-density apple farming.

Abdul Rashid Baba from Tral in South Kashmir, about 30 kilometres from Srinagar, blamed heavy monsoon showers for dampening demand. “The rains kept consumers indoors and away from markets,” he said. “Gala apples ripen around the same time as plums, but this year, continuous downpours prevented vendors from setting up stalls. With both fruits hitting the market simultaneously and fewer buyers, prices came under pressure and eventually crashed.”

Apple growers and experts point to several other reasons for the underwhelming returns. At the mega fruit market in Shopian, fruit trader Mohammad Ashraf Wani claimed high-density orchards were planted with low-quality apple saplings imported from different European nations.

“We are planting the saplings that have been rejected by Europe and are outdated. Besides, the research support from the region’s agriculture university is missing, leaving growers without region-specific guidance. Training and awareness programmes have not kept pace with the rapid expansion of high-density apple farming.”

Izhan Javeed, chief executive of Fruitmaster Agro Fresh Pvt. Ltd, which imports high-density plant material, told Mint that while European plants and technology have been introduced in the valley, many farmers remain hesitant to fully adopt the modern practices these systems require.

“The infrastructure is here, but on the ground, farmers often revert to traditional methods. In Europe, growers follow scientific practices rigorously, and that difference limits the true potential of high-density orchards,” he said.

Similarly, Ehsan Quddusi, CEO of Orchardly, an agronomy services company that works with nearly 15,000 apple growers across Kashmir said most growers ignore advisories and work as per their own will. “Affordable soil testing is rare, and pesticide and fungicide sprays are vastly overused. While precision spraying in Europe uses about 300 litres of water per hectare, here a single spray consumes nearly 6,000 litres. Not only is this costly, but it also shows massive inefficiencies.”

But growers point to the spread of new diseases, forcing even traditional orchards to rely on more frequent pesticide sprays. “The imported plant material could be carrying pests. Since the trees are not properly quarantined and are taken directly to the Advanced Centre for Horticulture Development in Zainapora, Shopian, many pests end up reaching orchards,” said Wani, president of the Mega Fruit Mandi, Shopian.

He suggested quarantining the plant material outside Kashmir to prevent pests from entering and triggering outbreaks in the valley.

Foreign varieties, domestic practices

Quddusi, 39, pointed out that a lack of mechanization and modernization has left many growers stuck in legacy practices. “Our orchards are still maintained the way my grandfather did, with very little change. With climate change posing a growing threat to cash crops, we also need to shift towards climate-resilient varieties, invest in cloning and local nursery development, and start growing varieties beyond Gala. Varieties that ripen later would allow us to stagger the harvest.”

High-density apple varieties also demand consistent and ample water, especially during the critical pre-harvest phase, a dependence that is colliding with Kashmir’s changing climate. The valley has witnessed back-to-back dry winters with negligible snowfall, and this summer brought record-breaking heat. On 5 July, temperatures touched 37°C, well above the threshold of 30°C that scientists at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) said is detrimental to apples.

Last year’s prolonged dry spell and heatwave, with scarce rainfall between June and August, took a heavy toll on the region’s high-density apple orchards. Many apples remained undersized and underdeveloped despite the use of drip irrigation systems.

“Irrigation is a must for high-density apple cultivation. We do not allow the establishment of such orchards without reliable irrigation support. For instance, even if a grower has sufficient land and capital, without proper water sources, we do not permit setting up high-density apple orchards,” said Mohammad Amin, subject matter specialist and technical officer to the director of horticulture in Kashmir.

According to Quddasi, the real challenge for Kashmir’s apple economy is not falling prices but chronically low productivity. “Globally, the average apple yield is around 45 tonnes per hectare, while in J&K ,we are stuck at just 18 tonnes. Even if market prices decline, good production would still keep farmers viable,” he explained.

India’s major apple-growing regions together produce about 2.0-2.5 million metric tonnes annually, well short of the country’s overall demand of nearly 5 million metric tonnes.

Quddusi also pointed out that Kashmir’s growers often follow prevailing trends, but what the market needs is a more diverse mix of apple varieties. “For the past decade, it has mostly been Gala apples, all harvested around the same time,” he said.

“When everyone brings high-density apples to market between late July and early August, it creates oversupply and pushes prices down. Apples from Himachal Pradesh also arrive during this window, adding to the pressure. Growers need to diversify by planting later-yielding varieties to help stabilize prices through better demand-supply balance.”

Wani blamed growers for neglecting proper thinning of flowers, a critical step that improves fruit size and colour. “When thinning is neglected, the fruit ends up smaller and with less colour, which fetches lower prices. If European farming techniques were followed in letter and spirit, growers here could achieve both better quality and higher yields.”

A 2021 study analyzing the economics of high-density apple orchards in the Union territory compared to Trentino-Alto Adige—Italy’s leading apple-growing region known for its high-yield, premium-quality produce—found that productivity in the Himalayan region remains lower across all planting densities.

The gap, researchers noted, stems from agro-climatic constraints, poor soil health, substandard rootstocks, and limited adoption of scientific crop management.

“The high upfront cost of ultra-high-density orchards deters most growers, with nearly 90% opting for densities between 1,500 and 2,000 trees per hectare. The lower-density orchards often see yield stagnation by the ninth to eleventh year, putting a cap on long-term profitability.”

Amin said while current prices may be lower than expected, they are still market-driven and not entirely unviable. “High-density apple orchards remain a lucrative business. The encouraging part is that educated youth are entering the sector and following advisories and expert recommendations to maximize returns.”

The official stressed that for Kashmir’s apple industry to grow further, farmers need to focus on improving post-harvest practices. “We should adopt proper packing and grading methods, similar to what growers in Europe do. That is essential for enhancing the industry’s long-term viability.”