SENSEX
NIFTY
GOLD
USD/INR

Weather

image 36    C

States News

RisingKashmir

States / RisingKashmir

details

Kashmirs Almond Industry Needs a Revival

Jammu and Kashmir, particularly the Kashmir Valley, is the largest producer, accounting for over 90% of Indias almond production DR MEHRA-UD-DIN SHEIKH | DR MOHAMMED TAUSEEF ALI Almonds (Prunus amygdalus) are often called nuts, but they are actually drupes, consisting of an outer fleshy part called a hull, a hard shell, and an inner seed that is often referred to as a kernel. Almonds are believed to be native to the Mediterranean and Central to Western Asia. Almonds belong to the family of Rosaceae and genus Prunus. Ripe almonds look like large green fruits and often split open by themselves, exposing the hard shell covering the seed, which is the edible part. Almonds are of two types, depending on the nature of the tree. Sweet Almonds (Prunus amygdalus var. dulcis) Sweet almond trees are grown for their edible seed. (ii) Bitter Almonds (Prunus amygdalus var. amara)bitter almonds are grown for the bitter almond oil. Almonds are rich sources of protein, fibre, vitamin E, antioxidants, calcium, copper, magnesium and riboflavin. They are also a source of iron, potassium, zinc and the B vitamins niacin, thiamine and folate. A 30-gram serving has 13 g of healthy unsaturated fats and 1 g of saturated fat. Per 30-gram serving, almonds boast more vitamin E (7.7 mg), calcium (80 mg) and riboflavin (0.3 mg) than any other nut. Almonds also provide 6 grams of plant protein per 30-gram serving. Almonds are naturally salt-free/sodium-free and low in sugars. Almonds are incredibly versatile in food preparation, finding their place in both sweet and savoury dishes. They can be enjoyed raw, roasted, or processed into various forms like almond flour, almond butter, or almond milk. Almonds are used as a snack, a topping, or an ingredient in everything from cookies, chocolates, candies, cakes, stir-fries, ice creams, etc. Almond cultivation in India is primarily concentrated in the mountainous regions of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. Jammu and Kashmir, particularly the Kashmir Valley, is the largest producer, accounting for over 90% of Indias almond production. Other states, such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, are also looking into growing almonds in some of their best areas, but their contributions are very small. Almonds require a climate with slightly hot summer temperatures ranging from 30 to 35C and cool winters for plant growth and kernel filling. Unopened blossoms shall withstand cold up to -2.2C, but blossoms at the petal fall stage are damaged at 0.50C to -1.1C. The blossoms can withstand temperatures ranging from -2.2C to -3.3C for a short time, but if low temperatures continue for long hours, they get damaged easily. It has a low winter chilling requirement of about 300 to 600 hours at or below 7C. Because of this low chilling requirement (or short rest period) and the relatively low amount of heat, it brings the trees earlier into bloom; therefore, the almond is generally the earliest deciduous fruit or nut tree to flower, hence extremely vulnerable to frost injury where moderately late-spring frosts prevail. Almonds need ample rainfall or irrigation water for maximum production of well-filled almond nuts. The almond tree has been successfully grown on a wide range of soils; however, sandy loams are best. It is a deeply rooted tree, and its performance is better in deep, fertile, and well-drained soils. Almond trees have high N and P requirements. International and National scenario The area under almonds in the world is 2.3 mha, whereas production is 3.5 million tonnes. In this, the USA is the largest contributor in production with 1.79 million tonnes, followed by Spain, Australia, Turkey, Morocco, Syria and so on (FAOSTAT, 2025). Therefore, the USA produces 51.14% of the worlds almond production in 2025. The California region of the USA dominates almond production. At the national level, the area under almond is 10150 ha, and production is 11280 tonnes (National Horticulture data, 2021), for which J&K contributes dominantly over 90% and on which the Kashmir Valley contributes almost 99%. J&K and Himachal Pradesh have an area of 4.68 and 5.48 ha and production of 1.35 and 9.93 MT and productivity (t/ha) of 0.29 and 1.81, respectively (National Horticulture data, 2021). The almond cultivation in the valley is mainly in the districts of Pulwama, Budgam, Srinagar, Baramulla and Srinagar, where production exceeds 552 tonnes annually. There are vast stretches of almond plantation in these areas, and most of them are on highlands locally called karewas. The altitude of the Kashmir Valley varies across areas, ranging from 1500 to 1850 m amsl. The mean annual precipitation of the Kashmir Valley is around 1000 mm. Pulwama is the leading producer of almonds in the Union Territory (UT), with a production of 6468 metric tonnes (MT) in 202122, followed by Budgam (1940 MT), Baramulla (553 MT) and Srinagar (741 MT). Therefore, almost all of the production comes from the Kashmir Valley. The total area under UT is 5457 hectares (ha), and production is 9811 MT (Table). The figure indicates that almond production in J&K is experiencing an overall declining trend. The land under almond cultivation was recorded as 17247 ha (2001-02), which has now reduced to 5457 ha (2021-22). J&K UT has lost a whopping 11,790 hectares of land that used to be under almond cultivation. The decline in the area under almond cultivation in the UT during 2014 and 2015 was mainly attributed to the incessant rainfall in September 2014, which caused damage to almond orchards due to waterlogging on Karewas. Table: District wise Area and production of Almonds in Jammu and Kashmir Districts Almonds Area (ha) Production (MT) Pulwama 3538 6468 Budgam 1249 1940 Srinagar 322 741 Baramulla 258 553 Anantnag 11 11 Shopian 7 13 Ganderbal 4 9 Bandipora 2 4 Kulgam 19 65 Kupwara 1 0 Kathua 10 6 Doda 24 1 Udhampur 12 0 Total 5457 9811 Source: Directorate of Horticulture (2021-22) (Data source: Research paper of Wani et al., 2018, citing data of Directorate of Horticulture, J&K.) Factors that lead to the decline of almond

13 May 2026 11:57 pm