Italian company evinces interest to supply rootstocks to Kashmir
In a bid to promote Kashmir fruit industry, the state government has decided to bring 100 hectares of orchard land under high density plantation in the Valley during the ensuing season.
The government has already floated global tenders for procurement of quality high density apple plant material and started negotiations with interested foreign suppliers.
In this connection, Horticulture Minister, Abdul Rehman Veeri today held a meeting with representatives of Italy-based company GRIBA, one of Europe’s largest apple plant producer.
During the meeting the company representatives showed their willingness to supply “quality plant material and impart technical training to the fruit growers and horticulture officials in the state.”
Minister for R&B and Floriculture, Syed Altaf Ahmad Bukhari, Commissioner Secretary, Agriculture Production, Muhammad Ashraf Bukhari, Director HP&M, Director Horticulture, Kashmir were present.
At the meeting the company was told to come up expression-of-interest for establishment of high density orchards on turnkey basis under PPP in Kashmir.
It was also decided that the project based establishment of such orchards will facilitate training of local fruit growers and officials of Horticulture department in orchard management operations, an official statement said.
The company representative said that “GRIBA is harvesting not less than 100 MT apples per hectare with an average productivity of 70 MT per hectare sic).”
They said, “The company recently started a fruit trading division in Italy and India, and will try to tap the booming fruit trade market in India, be it fruit import like apples as well as export like cherries, mangoes or pears.”
The Horticulture Minister said the interventions made so far “are with the clear objectives to enhance the production and productivity of quality apple fruit crops in the state.”
The minister said the horticulture sector has been prioritized as a thrust area by the state government and all possible initiatives are being taken to boost it for economic revival of the state.
He said the similarities in climate between European countries and Jammu and Kashmir make it possible to grow all types of high-value crops at very low cost.
The Minister said the new rootstocks will help improve the production of different fruits and will play pivotal role in replacing the old and senile orchards, adding it will improve the overall economy of the State.
