Kashmir's 'Delicious' losing out to red 'Italy'

Four years ago, Shabir Ahmad Bhat, an apple farmer from Pulwama, Kashmir, cut down all the trees in his orchard to cultivate a new variety. He embarked on the hectic and risky job of removing all the existing apple trees and cultivating new ones. Four years down the line, he believes his gamble paid off.

“I had a traditional Delicious orchard. The rates of traditional apples have significantly come down over time. I wanted to try this new variety. I am satisfied with it. In only the second year of starting this new variety, I got a good profit.” Shabir Ahmad said. “The (new variety) apples are coloured better, and the size is bigger,” he added.

Apple farmers in Kashmir traditionally cultivate a variety of apples known as “Delicious.” With a distinctive appearance, they showcase bright yellow-green skin, often blushed with a rosy hue. Their flavour profile is a delightful combination of sweet and tangy, offering a refreshing and crisp bite. Though not indigenous to Kashmir, this variety has been grown since the 1950s and has been most associated with Kashmir, at least in this region.

However, things have changed drastically in the past few years. The colour of apples traditionally grown in Kashmir could be more appealing to buyers and consumers in the market. Consumers tend to judge an apple by its colour. Hence, thousands of apple growers have changed their cultivation from traditional Delicious to a variety locally known as ‘Italy’. It is a high-density-yield variety that is reddish in colour but not that good in taste or nutrition. 

Giving an idea as to how much the production of ‘Italy’ apples has increased, Mohd Younis Dar, a manager of Achabal, which is the only cold store in district Islamabad, said, “The market for Italy is growing. In 2019, we received around 10,000 HD boxes; in 2020, we received 60,000; and in 2021 and 2022, we received more than 70,000 boxes.”

“Yes, there is a difference in taste. Our own Delicious is far better than ‘Italy’ in taste. But in the market, a buyer judges a fruit based on its colour, not taste. I have been in this business of apple farming for the last 25 years. And I can say with confidence that the new ‘Italy’ variety cannot beat Delicious in taste,” said Shabir Ahmad, a farmer.

Manzoor Ahmed Mir, deputy director at J&K Horticulture Planning and Marketing Department, commented on this trend and said, “Jo dikhta hai, wo bikta hai” (people buy what they see). We send more than 95% of our produce outside of J&K. People there only see the shape and colour of the apple, and Italy is very good at that, but when it comes to taste and nutritional value, our traditional apple is far better.”

However, colour is not the only reason for this emerging trend. Another important reason is the nature of the new variety of plants. These varieties produce greater yields with less care and are more pest-resistent. Javed Ahmad, horticulture development officer, told us that there is great variation in per-hectare production. While traditional plants produce a maximum of 16 metric tonnes per hectare, Italy can go from 50 to 60 MT per hectare.

One of the crucial and long-lasting impacts of the aforementioned trend would be the potential extinction of indigenous Kashmiri varieties of apples. Known for their distinct and exotic taste and fragrance, Kashmiri varieties like Ambur and Maharaji are among those found only in Kashmir. However, due to a lack of financial viability, their cultivation has already seen a reduction. “Kashmir’s indigenous variety, Kashmiri Ambur, is on the brink of extinction. We hardly see that variety nowadays. We Kashmiris had a very emotional bond with it. It surely is one of the tastiest apples in the world, and we should not lose it. But, with new varieties, it is tough to revive it,” said Dr Tariq, a plant pathologist and professor at Kashmir’s premier agriculture university, SKAUST. He further stressed maintaining a balance between traditional and new varieties. “If the whole traditional variety is replaced by a new HD variety, and if there is a sudden outbreak of some disease or mishap, it can wreak havoc on our industry since some outbreaks attack particular varieties only; hence, diversity is very important,” he said. “If new breeds take over our traditional orchards, the value of the Kashmiri apple will decrease. Our identity is our traditional apple. And we must preserve it,” said Ayaz Mir, a young farmer from the Shangus area of South Kashmir who has not completely given up cultivating traditional Kashmiri apples.