Peasant entrepreneurs - role in financing the apple industry of kashmir

The economy of Jammu and Kashmir is largely dependent on the horticulture sector as it contributes nearly rupees 5500 crores to the state economy and provides employment to 33 lakh people. The present industry’s main fruit is Apple and is cultivated on large scale in the state. The fruit cultivation process is capital intensive and in order to meet the expenses on production such as fertilizers, pesticides, grading and packing overheads, peasants opt for different ways of raising credit. The primary and traditional sources are mostly non-institutional. The small peasants of the state barrow money against the expected produce from local money lenders known as peasant entrepreneurs. The paper shall study the role and the impact of these entrepreneurs on the said industry with special focus on the apple industry to raise the entrepreneurship skills among the unemployed youth of Jammu & Kashmir.