To kill pests use of pesticide sprays in apple orchards in Kashmir is now almost a conventional method and keeping in view the expert opinions of the agriculture scientists and health specialists over the unending debate on use of better methods other than pesticide sprays for apple protection heads to no dead end in Jammu & Kashmir . Amid a debate over the use of pesticides for apple protection in Kashmir no safest method other than the use of pesticides has been recommended by the agriculture scientists of twin agriculture universities of Jammu & Kashmir so for. Since apple production holds a key place in the economy of the people connected with the horticulture sector, the use of pesticides can’t be abandoned or reduced in view of the growing interest of the people in the high density apple production scheme. While the fact remains that horticulturists using pesticides are suffering from several ailments, the agriculture scientists of Kashmir Agriculture Universities are only recommending more and more use of pesticides but have not discovered any alternative safest method for protection of apple against pests so for. Since pesticides sprayed in the apple orchards falls on the ground and is as such also found in fodder collected from the orchards, the milk produced from cows is also infected with pesticides. Since the no of pesticide sprays in apple orchards have been increased from 3-5 to 12-13 sprays over the period of years, the cow milk infected by pesticides is unsafe for human consumption. The onus for finding safest alternative methods for apple protection lies on researchers and scientists of Kashmir Agriculture University. For combating threats of pesticide use the focus of the research of the agriculture researchers and scientists of Kashmir Agriculture University should be on reducing the no of pesticide sprays.
The only hope is the use of organic methods but unfortunately people connected with the apple industry don’t show greater interest in organic methods due to lack of awareness. For greater awareness of the organic methods, the bigger reach out of agriculture scientists of Kashmir Agriculture University to the farming communities particularly the orchardists connected with the apple industry is the only way out.
Since the research to reduce the use of pesticides in the apple orchards has not been taken as serious as it should have been taken in recent years, the hopes of a better alternative method to pesticide spraying in apple orchards are very bleak. Let the concerned stakeholders of horticulture sector keeping in mind that unprecedented indiscriminate use of pesticides in apple orchards amid no seriousness on research for alternative methods to pesticide spraying is very dangerous for the health safety of the people connected with apple industry in Kashmir. The only hope is the use of organic methods but unfortunately people connected with the apple industry don’t show greater interest in organic methods due to lack of awareness. For greater awareness of the organic methods, the bigger reachout of agriculture scientists of Kashmir Agriculture University to the farming communities particularly the orchardists connected with the apple industry is the only way out.
