Apricot Season in Ladakh || Biggest Apricot producer in India

Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) is one of the best known temperate fruit tree species. It grows in geographically diverse areas ranging from the cold winters of Siberia to the subtropical climate of North Africa and from the deserts of Central Asia to the humid areas of Japan and eastern China. However, areas under commercial production are still very limited. Traditionally, apricot has been one of the few temperate fruit trees not affected by overproduction and often premium prices are reported for both fresh and processed fruits. There are many different uses of apricots. It is enjoyed as fresh fruit, but a large portion of the worldwide production is preserved primarily by drying. Apricots are also utilized as canned, dried, frozen, and baby food. Other products include wine, brandy, jam and nectar. Sweet apricot kernel is used for edible purpose and seed oil are often consider more valuable than apricots grown for fruit. The seed oil finds application in several industries such as pharmaceutical, food and cosmetics.
Ladakh is the biggest apricot producer in India. With a total production of 15,789 tonnes, it accounts for over 62% of apricot production of the country. However, the bulk of the apricot produced is consumed locally and only a small quantity is sold outside the region in dried form. However, of today, the popularity of Ladakhi apricots remains restricted to the region due to limited production, incidence of codling moth (Cydia pomonella) and lack of organized marketing system. The disorganized nature of the sector and adherence to certain inefficient production and processing techniques implies that 40-50 percent of the apricot production is wasted. However, in view of the uniqueness and premium quality of apricots of Ladakh there is immense scope for Ladakh to emerge on the world map for apricot production.
I was fortunate to witness the Apricot season of Achinathang village of Ladakh. The village is one of biggest producer of apricot in Ladakh.
#apricots #ladakh #apricot
#ladakh #mountains #festival