Kashmir Farmers Shifting to Apple Farming Amid Low Returns from Paddy Cultivation

Farmers in Kashmir are shifting their attention to apple farming due to steady decline in paddy cultivation. Thousands of hectares of farmland are being converted to cash crops or lost due to expanding construction.

Hectares under paddy cultivation have significantly declined in 2023, which was nearly 162,000 hectares in 2012 which later dropped to 129,000 hectares in 2023. This sharp decline can be attributed to farmers shifting to apple farming which offer high-yields and profits.

Low Returns from Paddy Cultivation

Experts stated that “A farmer can earn at most ₹20,000 to ₹24,000 from cultivating rice on four kanals of land, while high-density apple farming on the same plot can generate returns several times higher.”

Continuation of current trend may lead to region loosing more than 50 per cent of its agricultural land in the next 10 to 12 years.