)
The Centre is awaiting a report from the Jammu and Kashmir government on the damage to the apple crop caused by the recent devastating floods in the valley.
"We are still awaiting a report from the Jammu and Kashmir government to know the real picture of the damage caused to the apple crop,' Sanjeev Chopra, joint secretary and director, National Horticulture Mission, told Business Standard.
Chopra said the Centre will send a team to Kashmir once it receives the report from the state government.
Also Read
He also said the impact of the floods was much less in districts such as Sopore and Baramulla, considered as the apple belt in the valley, as compared to Srinagar.
Horticultural production of the state contributes to about 50 per cent of the Rs 2,000-crore agricultural production in the state involving three million people. Apple production accounts for 86 per cent of the value of the state's horticultural output.
A recent Assocham report had stated the floods have caused a loss of Rs 1,000 crore to the apple crop in Kashmir. The report also indicated that the floods have left a vast damage on both cultivators and consumers, who should be prepared to pay high prices during the festive season. The prices of apples have shot up after the devastating floods in Kashmir. This has encouraged some apple companies to pay better prices to farmers. L P Semwal, chairman, Shri Jagadamba Samiti (SJS), said the prices of apples have already reached Rs 60-65 a kg in Delhi, Lucknow, Kanpur and other cities.
SJS runs an acclaimed apple project in the state along with a consortium of partners.
