J-K: Bumper walnut crop brings economic opportunities to Kotranka-Budhal farmers

Rajouri (Jammu and Kashmir) , September 14 (ANI): With the Horticulture Department promoting walnut cultivation and introducing new varieties, a bumper walnut crop in the remote hilly areas of Kotranka-Budhal in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district is bringing economic opportunities to farmers and local workers.

Wali Mohd, Field Technician at the Horticulture Department, said there is immense scope for walnut cultivation in the area and that new walnut varieties are also being introduced.

He said the department is conducting awareness camps to encourage people to take up walnut cultivation and that the response has been enthusiastic. Walnut cultivation can help people generate their own employment, he added.

"There is immense scope for walnut cultivation here. We are also introducing new walnut varieties. Once planted, they begin bearing fruit within 6-7 months. People are benefiting significantly from this. We are conducting awareness camps to motivate people, and the response has been enthusiastic; there is considerable interest, leading to substantial benefits. Since jobs are hard to come by these days, people can benefit from this. They can reap the rewards and generate their own employment," Wali said. 

Farmer Shamsher Ahmed said walnuts are the main crop grown in the area and that walnuts are Rajouri’s product under the One District One Product scheme.

He said the Horticulture Department is focusing on walnut cultivation and urged greater attention towards encouraging landowners to plant more walnut trees. According to Ahmed, good sales and government subsidies are helping farmers benefit from the crop.

“Under the One District One Product scheme, our district Rajouri's product is walnuts. The Horticulture Department is focusing a lot on this. But we'd like them to focus a bit more on it. These days, the government is offering a lot of subsidies. People mostly plant walnuts, high-density varieties, and then apples, but in our area, walnuts are the main crop,” he said.

Walnut contractor Shakoor said the area produces good-quality hill walnuts, with a significant quantity of the produce being sent to Jammu. He said many people with four or five walnut trees on their land are able to earn income from them throughout the year.

“The walnut crop here grows really well. We get really good walnuts here. They're hill walnuts, and they're excellent. The local contractor here is Shamshir Thakar. He's the number one contractor for the whole route from District Rajouri down to Budhal. A huge amount of walnuts from here go to Jammu. A lot of people have 4 or 5 walnut trees on their land, and they make their living all year round from them. They're earning a really good income,” he added.

Shakroor said local contractors have hired workers from the area for walnut-related activities, providing employment opportunities to local people.

“People here are really interested in this. The local contractor has hired local labour; no outside workers are doing the job, and it provides jobs for a lot of people,” he added.

Azhar Mahmood, a technician at Budhal Nursery, said the nursery was established in 1978 and produces different varieties of plants, including apples and walnuts. He said the nursery grows high-density apples as well as grafted walnut and peach varieties and provides plants under subsidy schemes.

“The government is currently offering a 50%--now it's 80%--subsidy scheme where you can get plants at a 50% discount. We have a lot of plants ready here. This time, we've grown high-density apples too. We also have grafted walnuts and grafted peach nets. We offer a 50% discount here, and now we also provide plants under our 80-20 scheme,” Mahmood said.

Walnut contractor Mohammad Shabir, from Phalni village in Tehsil Kotranka, said he has been involved in the walnut business for around 30 years and that around 500 to 600 people work with him.

“I've been working in it for 30 years. All the walnuts from this area come to us here. They're all really good. Compared to Kashmir, our walnuts are excellent. We have around 500 to 600 poor people working with us,” he said.

Shabir said the Horticulture Department has provided assistance through machinery and subsidies. He sought facilities including cold storage and a water tank to support walnut-related activities.

“The Horticulture Department has already helped us a lot before. They've set up machines for us, and we've received subsidies for them. We just wanted to request that we're having some trouble keeping things here. There's no cold storage. We need a water tank, he said.” (ANI)