Experts warn of potential crisis in fruit industry as unusual weather disrupts production: 'Paints a worrying picture'

Yahoo

04-04-2025

Kashmir, often called the "fruit bowl" of Northern India, is facing a troubling new reality: a snowless winter. The region's fruit industry, which powers thousands of livelihoods and supplies 70% of India's apples, might be in serious trouble.
Farmers across Kashmir are grappling with an unusually dry and snowless winter. Normally, snowpack helps irrigate orchards during hot summer months and gives apple trees the chilling hours they need to flower properly.
But this year, Chillai Kalan, the region's harshest winter period, passed with barely a flake in sight.
"This winter feels more like spring," Bashir Ahmad Basheer, chair of the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Cum Dealers Union, told Greater Kashmir. "The stark absence of snow, coupled with a drastic decline in precipitation, paints a worrying picture for the upcoming harvest."
He warns that the industry could experience sharp declines in yields and fruit quality without sufficient snowfall.
That's especially bad news for apples, which are Kashmir's most important crop. The region produces over 2.5 million metric tons annually and accounts for 90% of India's dry fruit output.
While unusual winters happen, the broader pattern of rising global temperatures and shifting precipitation points to something bigger: Our overheating planet is disrupting longstanding weather systems.
As climate experts have explained, hotter days are "basically steroids for weather," making extreme events more likely and more damaging.
Similar concerns are being faced throughout the world. States across the United States have also reported alarmingly low snowfall, landing them in what's known as a snow drought.
Kashmir's horticulture sector makes up nearly 10% of the region's economy and supports more than 85 million days of employment annually.
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With earlier flowering, a higher risk of frost damage, and more pest invasions due to warmer winters, the system of jobs, food, and exports is under threat.
Globally, smart solutions to droughts are emerging. In California, there is a $20 million venture called Project Nexus to install solar panels over irrigation canals, reducing water evaporation and generating clean energy at the same time.
In the Dominican Republic, conservationist Francisco Núñez leads efforts to protect watersheds by planting trees alongside crops such as coffee and cacao. These agroforestry practices help show how nature-based solutions can build resilience to drought.
As individuals, we can help by upgrading to energy-efficient appliances and exploring simple swaps that reduce pollution. This can be as simple as opting for public transit or reducing our intake of red meat.
If we want to protect the roots of global food systems — from apples in Kashmir to wheat in the U.S. Midwest — the systems we rely on must evolve just as quickly as our changing climate.
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