Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir initiated a pruning training programme for fruit growers on Saturday to improve output and the quality of the produce.
A horticulture expert, Manzoor Ahmad, said the traditional pruning method and lack of knowledge regarding proper pruning and chopping had affected fruit production over the years.
“We have been observing for the past few years that our productivity has become stagnant on ten metric tonnes. But we train growers about pruning to improve productivity as it is very important. If we prune in a proper manner, we can get over this problem easily,” said Ahmad.
A large number of growers participated in the awareness camp.
A grower said that the training programme would also help them to keep up-to-date with the demand in the international market of their products.
“There is a lot of difference between the old pruning technique and the new pruning technique. Earlier, we used to prune the way we wanted to, but now the exporters of horticulture are teaching us the modern method of pruning so as to help us increase production and to get a good quality produce,”said a grower, Nazir Ahmad.
The demand of the valley’s fruit crop is substantially high across the world, but the number of buyers has comparatively gone down in the last two years.
The apple industry in the Kashmir Valley is the backbone of the state’s economy contributing billions of rupees from the export of the fruit to other parts of the country and abroad.
Although apple is the main fruit grown in the valley, other fruits including cherry, peach, apricots and pears are also grown on a large scale. (ANI)