A friend visiting Kashmir from Lucknow recently went to the annual Kisan Mela organized by Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (K), expecting to see what most visitors see at such events; farmers examining tools, young growers asking experts about spray schedules, stall owners displaying new varieties, and agricultural officers speaking about productivity and yield. Instead, he witnessed something that said more about Kashmir’s horticulture than any official presentation could. He saw a poor man moving from stall to stall, asking for help. The man was begging. Yet what startled my friend was not only his poverty, but what he was carrying in his other hand - “two grafting sticks of apple”, carefully held, as if they were more valuable than money itself. 

That image deserves to stay with us. Even a beggar at a farmers’ fair in Kashmir was carrying apple grafts home. Even in distress, he had not given up on horticulture. Even at the edge of want, he still imagined a future in which he could plant, graft, wait, and harvest. In Kashmir, horticulture is not merely an occupation. It is memory, aspiration, inheritance, and survival. That is why the crisis of horticulture in the Valley cannot be treated as an ordinary administrative matter.

Horticulture is one of the strongest pillars of Jammu and Kashmir’s economy, especially in the Valley, where apple cultivation shapes village life, seasonal labour, transport activity, and household income. The J&K Economic Survey identifies horticulture as a sector of major economic importance, while NITI Aayog’s 2026 roadmap treats it as a strategic growth engine with potential for value addition, exports, and rural prosperity.

In simple terms, when horticulture suffers, Kashmir suffers.

That is why the sight of a poor man clutching two apple grafts is so powerful. It captures a truth that policymakers often miss, people remain emotionally and economically invested in orchards even when the system around them fails. The apple tree is still seen as a route to dignity. But hope alone is not enough when growers are trapped in unstable prices, lack of storage, road disruptions, and repetitive seasonal losses.

The first major problem is the price that growers receive for their produce. In Kashmir, prices often collapse during the harvest season because too much fruit reaches the market at the same time, while growers have limited ability to hold stock or bargain for better returns. This is made worse by weak grading systems, poor market intelligence. NITI Aayog argues that Jammu and Kashmir must shift from volume-led horticulture to value-led horticulture, which means quality differentiation, better market organization, and stronger branding.

For many small growers, however, the reality is harsh.........

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