In 40 years, South Kashmir loses 63% of land under traditional crops

Srinagar, Nov 02: The paddy fields that once dominated South Kashmir's countryside are steadily making way for apple orchards. Over four decades, the area under traditional cultivation in the Upper Jhelum Basin has shrunk by nearly two-thirds, marking a major change in the region's farming landscape. Between 1981 and 2020, cultivated land in the basin declined from 991 square kilometres to 361 square kilometres, a loss of 630 square kilometres, or nearly 63 per cent. During the same period, land

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