Beyond apples: Why blueberries could be Kashmir’s next success story

Unlike apples, which need well-drained, loamy and slightly acidic soil, blueberries need highly acidic soil — such as that found near mountains, streams and marshy land.

A handful of promise: Blueberries could be Kashmir’s next horticultural success.(Express Photo)

The experts say blueberries, a short bushy plant, grow well in acidic soil with a pH of 3.5 to 4.5, where apple trees can’t grow.

“We have large areas of degraded land like the land near the mountains, land surrounding streams and the marshy land,” Pandit said. “By planting blueberries, these tracts can be converted into productive land. Since we can plant them in grow bags, we can plant them in places that are prone to floods and remove them to safer places when needed.”

Growing blueberries can also be rewarding. Widely considered a superfood, blueberries are low in calories and packed with powerful antioxidants, fibre, and essential vitamins — meaning that they fetch profitable prices.

In India, blueberries sell for around Rs 2000 per kilogram.

“On an average, we can grow around 3,200 plants on an acre of land. At a conservative estimate of two kilograms per plant, an acre of land will give us 6,400 kilograms. Since blueberry is an exotic, high-value fruit, if we assume a farmgate price of only Rs 1,000 per kilogram, it turns out to be Rs 64 lakh per acre or Rs 8 lakh for a kanal of land. Even at half of this price, it is very profitable,” Pandit, head of Pomology department at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Science and Technology (SKUAST) Kashmir, says.

Another advantage is that unlike apples, blueberry plants are highly disease-resistant and require very little pesticide.

“The good thing is that there are no chances of transfer of disease from blueberries to other plants,” Pandit says.

While blueberries are already grown in Madhya Pradesh, experts believe that Kashmir’s weather naturally suits their cultivation.

“In Madhya Pradesh, they grow it under poly-house conditions. The variety produced there has different genetics and is less tasty,” he says. “Here, our weather is naturally suited for the crop.”