Kashmir’s dry winter disrupts apple nurseries and raises risks for future harvests
An unusually warm, rain-deficient winter in Kashmir has delayed apple planting, cut nursery sales, and increased production risks for coming seasons.
Kashmir’s apple economy is facing a new bottleneck: nurseries are carrying unsold saplings because growers are delaying planting after an unusually warm and dry winter. Mint reports that in Qaimoh, Kulgam district, grafted plants remained in nursery beds weeks beyond the normal planting window as farmers waited for rain and workable soil moisture.
Nursery operators said most stock is usually sold by the first week of March, but this season a significant share remained unsold. One grower estimated that roughly 20–30% of plants were still in inventory, while another reported sales down by around 25–30%. That is a major financial shock for nurseries because sapling production is a multi-year cycle that requires capital long before revenue is realized.
The weather data in the report underscores why growers are hesitating. Daytime temperatures since mid-February were cited around 20–21°C, roughly 9–11°C above normal. Srinagar reportedly received only 5.3 mm of rain in February, the lowest February value since 1960. For December 2025 to February 2026, precipitation in Jammu and Kashmir was about 100.6 mm versus a normal 284.9 mm, implying a deficit near 65%.
Agronomically, the issue is not only delayed field work but weaker establishment conditions for young orchards. Experts quoted in the article warned that dry soil and warm late-winter conditions can reduce root establishment, increase transplant stress, and disrupt timing in orchard development. Missing the optimal March planting window can push orchard establishment later and potentially affect production cycles in the following years.
The economic exposure is large. The article says more than 400 nurseries in and around Qaimoh produce millions of saplings and generate roughly ₹100–150 crore in turnover. At farm level, a 20% sales drop can translate into substantial losses, while unsold plants must be maintained longer, adding costs and risking quality decline.
Because Kashmir supplies about 75% of India’s apples, delays in nursery sales and orchard planting are not a local technical issue only; they matter for broader supply planning. Recent rainfall has brought partial relief, but the report emphasizes that it arrived late, after valuable planting days had already been lost.