SRINAGAR: Around 300 hectares of traditional apple and walnut orchards in Jammu and Kashmir have been converted into high-density plantations under various government schemes during the last five years, the Centre informed the Rajya Sabha.
In a written reply to an unstarred question, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Ramnath Thakur said the Union Territory has also brought 909.13 hectares under new high-density plantations over the same period to boost horticulture productivity. He added that separate data on the conversion of traditional walnut orchards under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) is not maintained.
The minister said financial assistance for high-density apple and walnut plantations is being provided under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) through new area expansion as well as rejuvenation of old and senile orchards. Besides MIDH, the Jammu and Kashmir Government is implementing the High-Density Plantation (HDP) Scheme, Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP) and the Jammu and Kashmir Competitiveness Improvement of Agriculture and Allied Sectors Project (JKCIP) to encourage growers to shift from traditional orchards to high-density plantations.
The Centre said growers in Jammu and Kashmir are entitled to a 50 per cent subsidy on the maximum eligible project cost under both MIDH and the National Horticulture Board (NHB) schemes. Under the UT government’s Modified High Density Plantation Scheme, beneficiaries are also eligible for a 50 per cent subsidy as per the crop-wise per-hectare budget prescribed under the scheme.
The reply further stated that institutional finance is available to orchardists under all three schemes. Under MIDH, the remaining project cost after subsidy can be met through institutional finance, subject to appraisal by the lending institution. NHB assistance is credit-linked, requiring the project to be financed through institutional credit with the term loan not less than the admissible subsidy. Under the UT’s Modified High Density Plantation Scheme, eligible beneficiaries may avail institutional finance of up to 80 per cent of the project cost, subject to the lending norms of the concerned financial institution.
To improve the availability of quality planting material, the government said financial assistance is being provided for establishing large nurseries, elite disease-free nurseries and rootstock banks in both the public and private sectors. It added that Post Entry Quarantine (PEQ) facilities have been established in Jammu and Kashmir for imported high-value horticulture planting material, including apple and walnut, to ensure the supply of genuine and quality planting material.
The Centre also said it is promoting the use of elite dwarf rootstocks for high-density plantations to achieve early bearing, higher productivity and better adaptation to changing climatic conditions. To help orchardists cope with recurring dry spells and climate change, financial assistance is being provided for water harvesting structures, farm ponds, bore wells, drip irrigation systems, micro-irrigation infrastructure, anti-hail nets and mulching practices.
The reply further noted that the ICAR-Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture (CITH), Srinagar, is undertaking research on the production and multiplication of elite rootstocks, evaluation of climate-resilient rootstocks, standardisation of propagation techniques and production of disease-free planting material to improve the productivity and sustainability of apple orchards in Jammu and Kashmir.
