Srinagar: The growing adoption of modern apple grading and packing technology across Kashmir is bringing a significant change to the region’s traditional fruit trade, with growers reporting better returns, improved quality control and more efficient post-harvest handling of their produce.
Horticulture remains one of the main pillars of Kashmir’s rural economy, with thousands of farming families depending on apple cultivation either directly or through allied activities such as packaging, transportation, storage, trading and labour. However, despite producing large quantities of apples, growers have for years struggled to realise the full value of their produce, particularly because of inconsistent grading, packaging and quality standards.
Stakeholders in the industry believe the introduction of modern grading lines could help address several of these longstanding challenges. The technology enables apples to be mechanically sorted according to size, quality and other parameters before they are packed, allowing growers and traders to present a more uniform product in the market.
Several modern grading facilities have now been established at different locations in the Valley, with some units coming up with government assistance. While such technology was earlier largely associated with large cold-storage and controlled-atmosphere facilities, its increasing availability at smaller and localised units is making mechanised grading accessible to a wider section of growers.
The shift is also expected to reduce the time and labour involved in traditional manual sorting and packing. More systematic handling can help minimise damage to fruit, improve presentation and ensure that apples of similar quality are packed together, factors that can influence buyers and market prices.
“With modern grading lines, apples are sorted and packed in a much more organised manner. The fruit reaches the market in better condition and in less time. Properly graded and well-packed apples naturally attract buyers and can help farmers get better prices,” Basit Ahmad, a grading-line unit holder in Pulwama, said.
Growers and entrepreneurs associated with the sector said the benefits extend beyond the farm gate. Improved grading and packing are creating demand for skilled and semi-skilled workers while also generating business for transporters, packaging suppliers, traders and other people associated with the horticulture supply chain.
Azhar Ahmad, owner of a cold-storage facility, said the difference between conventional and modern packing methods was becoming increasingly visible.
“Earlier, growers had to depend largely on manual sorting and packing. It consumed considerable time and labour, while maintaining uniform quality was difficult. With grading lines, the process has become faster, more systematic and efficient,” he said.
He added that the lack of adequate grading infrastructure had previously put Kashmir’s growers at a disadvantage compared to producers in other parts of the country.
“For a long time, Kashmir was behind in terms of modern grading and packing facilities. Even when the quality of the fruit was good, inconsistent grading and packaging affected its market value. With more such units being established, that gap is gradually narrowing,” Ahmad said.
For growers, the technology is also being viewed as an important tool to reduce post-harvest losses and improve market competitiveness. A local apple grower said farmers could no longer depend entirely on traditional practices if they wanted to compete in increasingly organised domestic and international markets.
“Farmers have to adopt modern technology and improve the way their produce is handled after harvesting. Grading lines are an important step in that direction. We are already seeing that properly graded and packed apples receive better attention from buyers,” he said.
Industry stakeholders, meanwhile, maintain that modern grading should be accompanied by improvements across the entire horticulture supply chain, including scientific storage, packaging, transportation, marketing and market linkages.
Experts said standardised grading and packaging could play a crucial role in establishing a stronger identity for Kashmir apples in major domestic markets and eventually expanding their presence in international markets.
They said uniform quality classification would also make it easier for buyers to assess the produce, strengthen consumer confidence and reduce discrepancies in pricing. Better post-harvest management, they added, could ultimately increase the share of value reaching growers.
The expansion of grading infrastructure is therefore being seen not merely as a technological upgrade but as part of a broader transformation of Kashmir’s horticulture sector. With greater investment in modern handling, scientific storage and organised marketing, stakeholders believe the Valley can add more value to its world-renowned apple crop while creating new employment and business opportunities. (KNO)
