Kashmir farmers record an increase in rice harvest

In the middle of the harvesting campaign in the main rice-growing districts — Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama, and Ganderbal — an increase in crop productivity is noted. Local farmers and agro-industrial specialists report an improvement in crop condition after several years of losses caused by weather factors. For instance, a farmer from Pulwama, Mohammad Maqbool, recalled that last season the fields were flooded with floodwater that left a thick layer of silt, which prevented many from harvesting.

The improvement of the situation was facilitated by favorable weather conditions and a sufficient amount of precipitation during the growing season, which provided the rice paddies with moisture and supported grain formation. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), from June 1 to September 30, the region received 530.7 mm of precipitation against the normal 549.1 mm. By district, the figures were as follows: in Anantnag — 322.7 mm (against the normal 321 mm), in Kulgam — 295.2 mm (11% below the normal of 333.3 mm), in Pulwama — 267.1 mm (39% above the normal of 192.1 mm), and in Ganderbal — 342.2 mm (20% above the long-term average of 285 mm).

As explained by Najeeb ur Rehman Sofi, Deputy Director of Research at the MRCFC Field Crops Center of SKUAST-K University, although preliminary data indicate good plant development and higher harvests compared to last year, final conclusions regarding total production volumes can only be drawn after harvesting operations are completed.

At the same time, the total rice cultivation area in the Valley has decreased significantly over the past decades. While in the 1980–1981 season about 1.69 लाख (1.69 lakh) hectares were planted with this crop, in the 2023–2024 period it was approximately 1.29 लाख (1.29 lakh) hectares (a reduction of nearly 40,000 hectares). Specialists attribute this dynamic to a shift towards other crops, urbanization, and changes in land use patterns.