Srinagar, July 6 -- Kashmir's apple economy has reached a point where producing more fruit is no longer the biggest challenge. Creating more value is.

The valley supplies over 70 percent of India's apples and powers one of the country's largest horticulture economies. Still, the biggest profits rarely stay where the fruit is grown.

Truckloads of apples leave Kashmir soon after harvest, while the industries that transform them into premium products flourish elsewhere.

That economic equation has gone unquestioned for far too long.

Harvest season brings a signature sight. Apples with cosmetic defects or lower grades fetch poor returns because buyers want fresh fruit rather than raw material for processing. Large quantities never reach co...