Srinagar, April 2 -- Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed a 3.4% increase in apple production in the past three years while the export of the fruit out of the union territory has recorded a drop of 26% in the same period, official data has revealed.

Fruit production is the backbone of Jammu and Kashmir's agricultural and overall economy with apples contributing the majority( around 80%) of the share.

The data presented in the current session of J&K Assembly revealed that J&K produced 20.40 lakh metric tons (LMT) of apples in 2022-23 which increased to 20.64 LMT in 2023-24.

In 2024-25, the apple production in J&K increased further to 21.10 LMT, stated the data presented by agriculture production minister Javed Dar in response to a legislator...