Jammu, Oct. 14 -- Share Tweet Share Srinagar, Oct 14 (KNS): Jammu and Kashmir has lost 45,660 hectares of paddy cultivation in nine years, while rice supplies from outside states have increased by nearly 30 per cent in just two years, exposing a growing gap between the region's food production and consumption requirements amid the rapid expansion of apple cultivation. Official figures show that paddy acreage declined from 3,04,500 hectares in 2015-16 to 2,58,840 hectares in 2024-25, a reduction of 15 per cent. During the same period, dependence on rice sourced from other states has emerged as a major concern for the Union Territory's agricultural economy. Data from the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department show that rice su...