The Department of Horticulture Planning & Marketing was established in the year 1972-73 for Post Harvest Management of Horticulture produce of J&K.
The initial mandate of the Department was to facilitate transportation of fruit, formation of co-operative societies, providing assistance / help to farmers in getting credit from banks and organizing movement of fruit & vegetables in different parts of the country.
Since 1998, the department in extension to Post Harvest Management has been entrusted with the task of developing and managing Fruit & Vegetable markets across J&K to ensure trade being done in an organized/ channelized manner.
Horticulture sector contributes about 6-7% to the GSDP and is employing 35 lakh people directly / indirectly supporting about 7 lakhs families (J&K Economic Survey 2023-24).
The area under major horticulture crops increased from 3.35 lakh hectares in 2020-21 to 3.45 lakh hectares in 2023-24, while the production of these crops rose from 22.30 lakh MT to 26.43 lakh MT in the same period, the significant among them being Apple, Cherry, Pear, Peach, Plum, Apricot, Walnuts, Almonds. These are dispatched to more than 150 markets of the country and also exported to other countries including Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka etc.
Market linkage improvements include infrastructure upgrades of existing Mandis and integration with digital platforms like e-NAM, enabling direct online trading of fruits and vegetables. 17 out of 24 functional mandis in J&K are connected to e-NAM, with transactions worth Rs. 450 crore. The number of mandis connected with e-NAM grew from 4 to 17, with the value of trade through e-Mandis surging from Rs. 0.14 crore to Rs. 416.39 crore. The quantity of fresh fruit exported reached 13.59 lakh MT, and dry fruit exports were 0.08 lakh MT in 2023-24. Revenue from fresh fruit was Rs. 5,100 crore, and from dry fruit, Rs. 656 crore.
Furthermore, the implementation of Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage units has been crucial in stabilizing fruit markets and ensuring a steady income for growers throughout the year. Presently, the UT of J&K has 2.70 lakh metric tons of CA storage capacity, with plans to add an additional 25,000 metric tons and expand to 55,000 metric tons over five years under HADP. These facilities not only prevent distress sales but also facilitate international market access for J&K's renowned apple varieties (J&K Economic Survey 2023-24).
