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JAMMU & KASHMIR

Geographical position and climate

The state of Jammu and Kashmir forming the crown of India and situated inthe extreme north of
Indian Union lies between the coordinates 32º 17' to 37º20' North latitude and 73º25' to 80º30'
East longitude. The territory is boundon north by Afghanistan and China, East by China, South
by two states ofIndia as Himachal Pradesh and Punjab and West by the North-West
FrontierProvince and Punjab Province of Pakistan. The entire territoryextends over 640 km. from
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north to south and 480 km. East to West, coveringa total area of 2,22,236 km . The state
comprises of 22 districts with threedivisions, Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, offering a rich
diversity oflandscapes. The Ladakh occupies maximum area of the three regions. The recorded
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forestarea of the state is about 20,441 km . The topography of the state is such that low-lying
valleys aresurrounded by high mountain ranges of the Himalayas. Altitude determines the degree
of coolness, precipitation and summer temperature. Winter is cold and of long duration. In higher
mountains round the valley of Kashmir, winter is very cold and there is snow-fall. Summer is
very short and milder.

Soils

The Kashmir valley lies in temperate zone with an alluvial soil rich in nitrogen and organic
matter. There are different types of soils in the valley which include silt (Gurti), loam (Bahil),

sandy (Sekil), vegetable soil (Surzamin), kerewa soil (Wuder) and peaty (Nambal soil).In general
soils of Jammu and Kashmir were medium in available N and P and high in available K. The status of
micronutrient showed that available Fe, Mn and Zn were high, whereas available Cu, B and Mo were
medium.
Crop and cropping systems
In kharif season,maize, rice, pulses and millets are the major crops grown in the state. While wheat,
barley and oil seeds predominantly grown in rabi season. Almonds, walnuts, pears, cherries
and apricots in temperate areas and mango, citrus, litchi, ber, papaya, guava are major fruit
crops. The region of Kashmir is known for its horticulture industry and is the wealthiest region in
the state. Horticultural produce from the state includes apples, apricots, cherries, pears, plums,
almonds and walnuts.
Fertilizer consumption

Total consumption of N, P 2O 5 and K 2O was 71,629, 29,507 and 15,519 tonnes, respectively, and
consumption of ZnSO 4 was 550 tonnes in 2016-17.