Srinagar, April 17 -- Orchards of Jammu and Kashmir have long been symbols of abundance, their produce feeding households across the country and carrying the fragrance of the valley to distant markets. Yet behind this bounty lies a story of struggle, where farmers and growers wrestle with systemic gaps that prevent them from realising the full worth of their labour. The horticulture sector, despite its natural advantages, continues to be constrained by infrastructure deficiencies, technological limitations, and weak market linkages. This is not a tale of failure, but of untapped promise; one that calls for collective resolve to transform potential into prosperity.

Out of more than twenty lakh metric tons of apples produced last year, les...