Rental hikes by Army may adversely affect fruit production in J&K

With fruit production in Kashmir static, the Kashmiri growers have asked the state and central government not to acquire horticulture land for any official purposes. They are also not satisfied with recent rent hike by the defence ministry. The growers fear that acquiring of the horticulture land for official purposes will reduce the fruit production in the state. Jammu and Kashmir is the only state in India that has around 2.75 lakh hectares of land under the horticulture. The major portion of this land is used for the cultivation of fresh fruits especially apples.