While India was importing apricots from Afghanistan, more than 70 per cent of the fruit in Ladakh was allowed to perish, adding that only 30 per cent of the fresh produce used to be dried by the local people for sale outside Kargil as a dry fruit
First time in 35 years, Kargil district in the union territory of Ladakh, has sent a consignment of 150 kg of fresh apricots to Dubai, thus creating footprints in the international market. This was done by the Gurgaon-based start-up Krishak Agritech. Apricot was identified as the primary crop for Kargil under its One District One Crop Programme.
The consignment was flagged off by Feroz Ahmed Khan, Chief Executive Councilor of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, while Kargil Deputy Commissioner Santosh Sukhadeve presided over the function.
Earlier the export of fresh apricots from Kargil district to international as well as domestic markets was banned by the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir government in 1986 to stop the spread of codling moth, said Khan. As a result, the startup took special permission from the Government of India, he added.
“The farmers have so far supplied 20 MTs of fresh apricots, valued at nearly Rs 30 lakh, to traders in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Delhi and the National Capital Region. The produce was procured from more than 200 farmers in Kargil district.”
— Naveen Gahlawat, founder of Krishak Agritech
Farmers in Kargil were discouraged from growing apricot plants but the district still produces more than 20,000 tons of apricots grown on old trees, said Naveen Gahlawat, founder of Krishak Agritech. While India was importing apricots from Afghanistan, more than 70 per cent of the fruit in Ladakh was allowed to perish, he said, adding that only 30 per cent of the fresh produce used to be dried by the local people for sale outside Kargil as a dry fruit.
Gahlawat said they have so far supplied 20 MTs of fresh apricots, valued at nearly Rs 30 lakh, to traders in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Delhi and the National Capital Region. The produce was procured from more than 200 farmers in Kargil district.
“We will be making fresh juice of the varieties which are not much in demand and sell it as a value-added product,” he said.
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