Pruning of apple orchards is often understood merely as the removal of dead, diseased, or damaged branches -- an agricultural routine necessary for healthy fruiting. Yet, beyond its horticultural purpose lies a deeper social and economic significance that touches thousands of lives across Kashmir.
Across the orchard-rich landscapes of South and North Kashmir, pruning season is not just an agricultural activity; it is a livelihood season. At the break of dawn, long before the sun softens the winter chill, labourers leave their warm beds to reach the orchards. Braving harsh cold and frostbitten mornings, they work tirelessly among the branches, driven by a simple purpose: to sustain their families.
For a considerable section of Kashmir's rural population, pruning provides one of the most reliable earning opportunities of the year. The wages earned during this period are not merely daily income -- they are savings that carry families through the harsh and economically unproductive winter months. Many labourers pin their yearly hopes on this season, awaiting these months as a window of financial stability.
This cycle also fuels a healthy economic flow within the region. Through pruning-related employment, money moves from orchard owners to labourers, from the haves to the have-nots, thus keeping local circulation intact. In its own quiet way, pruning strengthens the grassroots economy of Kashmir, ensuring that growth is not limited to trees alone but extends to the lives that depend on them.