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Jammu & Kashmir’s Horticulture Department has brought 675.69ha under fruit cultivation as part of an initiative to boost commercial production in the Indian state.

The department has planted 134,342 trees of various fruit types in the Udhampur district over the past financial year, reported the Kashmir Observer.

As part of the project four demonstration farms have been set up in Kanal, and around 31,000 old fruit trees have been top-worked to improve production.

Banana and kiwifruit trials have also been put in place, with the department hoping to encourage large-scale production of the commercial fruits.

Horticulture is a significant earner for Jammu & Kashmir, and experts in the state hope to improve exports with increased production of products like mushrooms, berries, stonefruit and kiwifruit.