India's Ministry of Food Processing Industries has designated Jammu and Kashmir as an apple production cluster under the central Operation Greens programme. The cluster includes the districts of Baramulla, Shopian, Kupwara, Anantnag, Kulgam, Badgam, and Pulwama, according to a Lok Sabha reply dated December 11, 2025.
Operation Greens is implemented across all states and union territories to strengthen value chains for selected fruits and vegetables. Production clusters are identified in consultation with state horticulture departments and the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, with apples in Jammu and Kashmir now formally included.
The Centre informed Parliament that 35 Operation Greens projects were approved nationwide over the past three years, with a combined project cost of about Rs 1,595.79 crore, equivalent to roughly US$192 million. Andhra Pradesh accounted for 14 of these approvals, the highest number among states.
Between 2022–23 and 2025–26, cumulative allocations to Operation Greens amounted to Rs 573.62 crore, or about US$69 million. Of this, Rs 365.78 crore, around US$44 million, had been released and utilised as of November 30, 2025.
The ministry stated that Operation Greens is demand-driven and focuses on building cold-chain, preservation, and processing infrastructure. By targeting identified production clusters such as apples in Jammu and Kashmir, the scheme aims to support aggregation, value addition, and market linkages while reducing post-harvest losses.
Source: KashmirLife
