Kashmir agri varsity red flags pest-infested Iranian kiwis
The Hindu
They will create problems and endanger the fruit industry, the backbone of J&K, report says
The research wing of the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) has raised an alarm over pest-infected Iranian kiwis flooding Indian markets, especially as a risk for the apple-rich Kashmir region, but noted that no quarantine pests, detected in December 2021 in New Delhi’s Azadpur mandi (market) had been found in the valley yet.
A report by the Associate Director, Research, SKUAST, says: “The reported pests, named Aspidiotus Nerd, and Aonidella Aurantii, are a threat to the faruit industry of Kashmir, especially apples, if they [the insects] start multiplying. Under these circumstances, caution needs to be taken for such infected imports as they will create problems in Kashmir and endanger the fruit industry, which is the backbone of J&K.”