Kashmiri apples 

India is ranked as the 6th largest apple producing country. Kashmir produces 70% of its total apple production. Several challenges have thrown this industry into crisis; from concerns such as storing the fruit, spurious pesticides in circulation, price risk faced by growers and contractors, lack of government attention etc. 

The apple, (Malus pumila) is certainly Kashmir's most popular crop. The Apple industry has become a major sector of the Kashmir Valley’s economy. Kashmir annually exports 20 lac metric tonnes of apple and produces annual revenues of Rs 9000 crore. In Kashmir, the Apple industry provides direct and indirect jobs to 33 lac people.

 As per the survey carried out by the Global Consulting agency horticulture production of the state contributes about 45% of total agricultural production of the state, of which 80% is controlled by the production of apple fruit. The trend of transforming the land into apple orchards has increased rapidly from the previous few years.

Jammu and Kashmir is India's largest apple producing region, but it doesn't get what it should have from the apple industry. The main occupation of the Kashmir valley is the cultivation of apples, as it accounts for 90% of the total fruit crop in the valley. This industry faces a number of problems, such as improper marketing facilities, government ignorance, spurious fungicides/pesticides and lack of infrastructure.

Every year, 4,00000 tonnes of apples are ruined by the Scab, according to data available, other diseases such as alter naria, red power and powdery mildew spoil the crop. Since there is no guarantee of a growing trend in the market price of the fruit as it fluctuates, price risks are faced by growers and contractors. In the home market, there is no government support and the perishability of goods also becomes a near cause of diminished prices.

 The issues are complex, ranging from agronomic aspects to management of pests and diseases, post-harvest handling, marketing and financing. There will be an improvement in the situation if priority is given, which will not only increase the quality of life of the dependent community but the UT as a whole.

                                                                                                                     Aafaq Ahmad(Ph.D Scholar)

                                                                                                                  Faculty of Forestry, SKUAST-K

Koshur

The mother tongue of Kashmir

Kashmiri belongs to the Dardic subgroup of the Indo-Aryan language family. It is mainly spoken in the Kashmir and the Chenab Valley of Jammu division. Besides Kashmir, Koshur is also spoken in Pakistan primarily in the territory of Azad Kashmir. The Kashmiri language is now in peril and modern youth feels shy to speak in it.

Kashmiri is one the official language of India. The Kashmiri language is traditionally written in Sharda script after the 8th century A.D. This script however, is not in common use today, except for religious ceremonies of the Kashmiri Pandits. Today it is written in Perso-Arabic and Devanagari script with some modifications. 

The Perso-Arabic script is recognized as the official script of Kashmiri language by the Jammu and Kashmir government. Nowadays, Kashmiri Perso-Arabic has come to be associated with Kashmiri Muslims, while the Kashmiri Devanagari script has come to be associated with the Kashmiri Hindu community. It is an indispensable part of our culture.

The occupation over Kashmir by many foreign rulers has laid an impact on native culture. The Mughal regime gave the main emphasis on Persian language and the Dogra regime gave on Urdu language, which lousily affects the Kashmiri language.

Nevertheless, many people in Kashmir can speak the Kashmiri language orally but there is a very scanty number of people in the Valley who can speak as well as write in Kashmiri. It is a well-known fact that in the mother language a student can grasp more easily than any other language. In educational institutions besides Urdu and English language we should also give more emphasis on mother tongue. 

There is a dire need for government patronage to hold programs at gross root level in order to make people aware of the importance of their mother language. Lastly, it is the responsibility of every Kashmiri to promote and preserve the indigenous language and culture.    

Nadiya Shafi Bhat(M.Sc. Student)

                                                                                                               Faculty of Forestry, SKUAST-K