Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Oct 29: Government today attributed the recent surge of the Leaf Miner pest in Kashmir’s apple orchards to changing climatic conditions, acknowledging that the pest was first detected nearly five years ago but has intensified over the last three years.
In a written reply to a starred question by MLA Shabir Ahmad Kullay, the Agriculture Production Department (Horticulture Sector) said that “due to recent climatic changes, particularly rising temperatures and altered precipitation patterns, there has been a notable resurgence and increased severity of aphid infestations across the Valley.”
However, the government admitted that it has not yet been established whether the pest “entered from outside or existed as a dormant species that re-emerged due to mutation linked to climate change.” Research institutions are still studying the pest’s origin, it said.
The department said it has intensified pest monitoring, field surveillance, and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) interventions in collaboration with SKUAST-Kashmir. The reply noted that the Leaf Miner’s “potential for rapid horizontal spread” demands coordinated action involving bio-control agents, insecticides, and community participation.
Responding to calls for large-scale spraying of insecticides through drones, the government clarified that “blanket spraying is not recommended” by research bodies because of environmental risks, fragmented landholdings, and the lack of suitable ultra-low-volume formulations. It said the administration would follow advisories from SKUAST-K, CITH, and ICAR.
The government also revealed that during the past two years, 15.51 lakh fruit plants, mostly high-density apple varieties like Gala and Red Delicious, were imported from Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey through empanelled private agencies. These imports were cleared by the Ministry of Agriculture’s Exim Committee under strict quarantine regulations.
Acknowledging concerns about dependency on imports, the government said it would take nearly ten years for local nurseries to meet domestic demand. Under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP) and the Jammu and Kashmir Competitiveness Improvement Project (JKCIP), initiatives are underway to establish Mother Orchards, Rootstock Banks, and Plant Propagation Units across districts.
For 2025-26, Shopian district-Kashmir’s prime apple hub-has been assigned a target of 30 hectares under high-density plantation, part of a broader plan to cover 5,500 hectares in the next decade. The government added that no subsidies are provided for pesticides or fertilizers, but 50% financial support, up to ?50,000 per unit, is given for vermicompost production to promote organic farming.
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