Horticulture is of four types, namely olericulture (cultivation of vegetables), pomology or fruticulture (cultivation of fruits and nuts), viticulture (cultivation of grapes) and floriculture (cultivation of flowering and ornamental plants). Jammu and Kashmir, due to its geographic location and climatic conditions, has abundant natural wealth in terms of the fruits, vegetables, crops and flowers that grow here. This is a prime reason why there are a plethora of opportunities in the horticulture industry in Jammu and Kashmir.
Horticulture is an important sector in J&K and this industry is instrumental in strengthening the financial condition of the State, in reducing poverty and creating employment for the locals. The fruit crops that grow in Jammu and Kashmir mainly include apples, almonds, walnuts, cherries, pears and apricots. These are mainly cultivated in the temperate regions of Jammu and Kashmir while fruits that grow in the subtropical region include mango, papaya, guava, litchi and citrus fruits. The other major crop that grows in Kashmir is saffron.
In Jammu and Kashmir, horticulture generates around INR 10,000 crores each year and is the source of livelihood of more than 7 lac families, thus being a key player in generating employment. This sector adds about 9% to the Gross State Domestic Product. Every hectare of orchard generates 400 man days each year. In 2001, the land under cultivation of fruits in Jammu and Kashmir was 2.21 lac hectares. Currently it is 3.33 lac hectares, which means that the fruit cultivation in J&K has increased manifold in the last 20 years. According to the Horticulture Department of Jammu and Kashmir, the fruits cultivated here have increased from 10.9 lac metric tonnes in 2001 to 24.44 lac metric tonnes today.
In J&K, the harvest of apples is about 10 MT/ha and there is scope to increase the cultivation to 45 MT/ha if high-density farming practices are adopted. With different apple varieties being grown in Kashmir, the cultivation of apples will further increase and effectively result in more employment and business opportunities in horticulture. Currently, apples account for 75% of the total cultivation of temperate fruits.
Walnuts and cherries face hardly any competition in the world market, so their cultivation in Kashmir is creating many opportunities in the horticulture industry for the Kashmiris. Walnuts account for 65% of the total temperate fruits’ cultivation. There is immense potential for increasing the walnut cultivation in Kashmir. It is estimated that around 0.5 lac hectares of land can be used for the same. With more emphasis laid on the cultivation of walnuts, pears, stone fruits, strawberries, grapes, olives and pecan nuts, there will be further addition in the employment and business opportunities in the horticulture sector for the local population.
The cultivation of cherries can open up many job opportunities in horticulture in Jammu and Kashmir. The Horticulture Department of Jammu and Kashmir has a road map for doubling the harvest of cherries in the next 5 years.
The job and business opportunities in the horticulture industry in Jammu and Kashmir will increase with the adoption of hi-tech farming, high-density farming, effective pest and plant disease management, better management of plant health, use of clonal rootstocks, and conversion or more and more land area for horticulture. The Department of Horticulture of J&K is also working towards reviving old orchards, creating water resources and providing robust irrigation systems to orchards in the region. Additionally, initiatives are being taken to educate farmers about the new methods of fruit cultivation and soil health management, and orchardists are being encouraged to experiment with new fruit varieties.
Such efforts for the growth of the horticulture industry in Jammu and Kashmir have led to the creation of several jobs in this sector. Some of them include, horticulturist jobs, horticulture assistant jobs as also those of technicians, experts and even marketers.
Unlike some other sectors that witnessed a decline in the last few years, the horticulture industry of Jammu and Kashmir has been expanding consistently. This sector has been and shall always be a major player in boosting the economy of J&K and creating new job openings and business opportunities for the local population of this region.
