Apple farmers in Jammu Kashmir to get crop insurance cover soon: Govt

October 27, 2025 by News Desk

The Jammu Kashmir government on Monday announced that apple, saffron, mango, and litchi crops have been officially brought under the Re-structured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme, paving the way for a formal crop insurance cover for apple growers.

The government said that the tendering process to select an insurance company for implementing the scheme is currently in progress.

The assurance came in response to a question raised by PDP legislator Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra in the Assembly, who sought details on government initiatives to safeguard the interests of apple growers and bridge infrastructure gaps in the horticulture sector.

In a written reply, the government said that the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS), first launched in 2019 through the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED), had provided crucial support to apple growers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The government is now working to revive the scheme to ensure long-term benefits for fruit farmers.

The reply also highlighted the government’s efforts to expand cold storage infrastructure in the Union Territory to meet post-harvest requirements.

Jammu and Kashmir currently has a Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage capacity of 2.92 lakh metric tonnes (LMT), against a demand of around 6 LMT—covering just about 30 percent of the annual fruit production.

“The department is contemplating an increase in CA storage capacity over the next five years. Apart from funds under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), the J-K government is providing additional subsidies through the UT Capex budget,” the government stated.