One can now enjoy Kashmiri apples right from an orchard in Darjeeling, thanks to an initiative by the Directorate of Cinchona and other Medicinal Plants at Mungpoo in the Darjeeling hills.

Samuel Rai, director of the Cinchona and other Medicinal Plants Directorate, which functions under the state horticulture & fruits processing department, said they planted 500 apple saplings in the cinchona plantation area around two years ago to check whether apples from Kashmir could be cultivated in the hilly region.

“We had brought the seedlings from a nursery of Pahalgam in Kashmir in consultation with an expert, and in 2023, 500 saplings were planted in the Directorate’s area. Finally, fruits have started getting mature this year, and they taste good,” Rai told The Telegraph.

Rai said that nearly a decade ago, a similar project of growing apples in the hills was taken up. At the time, the saplings were brought from the neighbouring country of Nepal. Those saplings, however, didn’t mature.

In 2018, they contacted an expert in Pahalgam and brought the seedlings from a local nursery there. Even then, it did not work out, and they realised that those particular seedlings were a low-chilling variety which grow in warmer climates.

Five years ago, the Pahalgam expert visited the Directorate area. By 2022, he provided high-chilling saplings suitable for the cold temperature of Mungpoo. These were planted in 2023.

“The saplings which we have planted so far are two types. For one type, fruits will grow and ripen in December and January, while for the other type, apples will be ready for harvest in September and October. A section of the plants have started growing steadily. The saplings were planted as a test case, and the results are positive this time. If we succeed and get mature fruits, we will encourage local farmers to start apple cultivation,” said the director.

Following this development (apples coming up on the trees), a report has been sent to the horticulture & fruits processing department, a source said.

Along with apples, the Directorate, which mainly focuses on growing medicinal plants, is working on cultivating other fruits such as blackberries, blueberries, kiwi, peach and almond.

“These fruits can be grown in the hills because of its weather. We are exploring all options to grow these fruits on a trial basis and then promote their cultivation across the hills,” said Rai.