Sameer Showkin Lone
Kargil, Oct 31: When we hear or talk about Tiger hill, the first thing that comes to mind is the 1999 Kargil War of 1999- where the guns, grenades and bofors roared. But the Tiger Hill is more than the jackboots and camouflage; its foothills produce some of the best quality apricots in the world.
Its unique climate and altitude contribute to the exceptional quality and taste of the apricots. The apricots from Channigund, Garkone and other adjoining villages, located in the foothills of Tiger Hill, are highly valued for their sweetness and flavour, making them a sought-after delicacy.
Apricot, Apple, Pear and Walnut have been under cultivation in Ladakh region since long. Apricot constitutes 90 percent both in area as well as production.
As per the official figures, apricot trees in Kargil district are grown over an estimated area of 1980.66 Hectares. The annual estimated fruits production is 6860.31 Metric Tons(MT) of fresh fruit and 13.31 MT of dry fruits with an annual estimated value of Rs. 1841.04 lacs.
“Around 3500 households are engaged in the cultivation of fruit crops in 70 villages out of 129 Villages in the area,” according to the official details issued by the Kargil administration on its website.
The Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in its handout said that its export promotion body APEDA is in process of hand-holding of Apricot value chain stakeholders to enhance export from Ladakh under the brand ‘Ladakh Apricot’.
Leh is the capital city of Union territory of Ladakh after it was bifurcated from Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019. The union territory comprises two districts, Kargil and Leh with a total population of 2.74 lakhs as per the 2011 census. Kargil is the largest district in terms of population.
During the 2022 season, it was for the first time that some 35 Metric tons (MT) fresh apricots were exported to various countries from Ladakh. Trial shipments of Ladakh Apricots also took place to countries like Singapore, Mauritius, Vietnam during the season 2022.
As per the official figures, Ladakh is the biggest apricot producer in the country with a total production of 15,789 tonnes that constitutes nearly 62 percent share in total.
The region produces approximately 1,999 tons of dried apricot, making it the largest producer of dried apricot in the country. The total area under apricot cultivation is 2,303 hectares in the whole of the Union Territory of Ladakh.
The native apricot genotypes of Ladakh possess unique and important characteristics, such as high TSS content, late and extended flowering and fruit maturity, and white seed stone phenotype, which offer opportunity for exporting to different nations worldwide.
The horticulturalists in the region are of the firm belief that given the uniqueness and premium quality of apricots of Ladakh, there is immense scope for Ladakh to emerge on the world map for apricot production and export.
Ladakh apricot is classified into two broad categories based on kernel taste and stone color. Fruits with bitter kernels are called khante meaning bitter, while those with sweet kernels are called nyarmo meaning sweet.
They are further divided into two sub-groups based on seed stone color. Fruit with white seed stone is called Raktsey Karpo (Rakstey means seed, karpo means white), while those with brown seed stone are called Raktsey Nakpo or Nyarmo (black seeded).
Over the years, high-density apricot orchards have come up in the region like one in Sailskot village, where the local farmers are given hands-on training and demonstrations on advanced apricot farming.
Mohammad Ali, a young boy, who was not even born when the 1999 Kargil War took place, is nowadays busy in his apricot orchards taking part in almost every training process organised by the experts.
“I look after the apricot trees. This is our main source of livelihood,” Ali said.
The apricots are harvested in the later part of August, he said. Like many others, Ali sells the produce in the local market.
Many villagers put up their stalls along the Leh-Srinagar highway. These roadside hand carts catch the eye of customers, mostly tourists who throng to Ladakh between May and August.
The Ladakh administration holds a series of events under the banner of Apricot Blossom Festival locally known as (Chuli Mendoq), every year. The series of events attract a good number of national and international tourists, vloggers, village community members, and folk artists.
Manzoor Ahmad, who is a retired Joint Director Department of Horticulture Kashmir, and an expert in Apricot farming said they are imparting training and awareness among farmers, owners of orchards and local field workers regarding the pruning of trees and canopy management of plants for maintaining plant health and better fruit production.
“The basic concept in canopy management of a tree is to make the best use of the land, climatic factors for increased productivity in a three-dimensional approach,” Ahmad said.
He said tree vigour, light, temperature, good soil health and humidity play a pivotal role in the production and quality of fruits.
Testan Gurmat, a local apricot seller in his late 60s, who owns a huge shop at the main market of Leh city told 30 Stades that most of the stock of apricot is sold to visitors and to the national/global market also.
“It is a high quality apricot. Some even make fruit jam at their small units too through the help of different schemes of Horticulture and allied departments of the government,” Gurmat, who is in his late 60’s, told.
