Delicious Kashmiri apples to hit fruit markets soon

Apple lovers, who have been eager to taste the delicious Kashmiri varieties, need not wait for long. The apples have ripened and will be available in plenty in the shops across the country and abroad.

By Suhail Ahmed

Srinagar, Aug.31 : Apple lovers, who have been eager to taste the delicious Kashmiri varieties, need not wait for long. The apples have ripened and will be available in plenty in the shops across the country and abroad.

Kashmiri apples will be more juicy and appealing in colour this time. Favourable climatic conditions caused by recent rainfall that lashed valley in the beginning of August proved a blessing for apple orchards.

Known for their special taste Kashmir apples are high in demand in markets across the country.

Apple orchards in Sopore, Pattan, Baramulla and Pulwama areas of Kashmir are abuzz with apple harvesting activities.

Hazratbali, the earliest found variety of apple from the Kashmir Valley, generally reaches the markets by mid-August and is followed by other varieties like Royal delicious, American apple, Maharaja, Delicious and others.

Apples are harvested and graded as per their size and quality. Later, these segregated apples are duly packed in boxes at the orchards.

Hafeez Ullha Dandroo, a fruit grower and dealer, said: "Kashmiri apples naturally taste sweeter than apples from Shimla (Himachal Pradesh). They are deeper in colour and more flavoured in comparison to other apples."

Around 2.5 million people are directly associated with the apple industry of Kashmir.

According to Manzoor Ahmed, a Horticulture Development Officer, roughly 15 per cent population of Kashmir depends on apple cultivation and trade.

According to the State's agriculture department 1.2 million tonnes of apples are produced annually, out of which 800,000 tonnes are exported to European countries and to Nepal and Bangladesh.

The annual apple production in Kashmir is worth 275 million dollars.

ANI