A serene click of animals grazing in Badamwari Garden
With the arrival of spring, almond orchards are emerging as a new tourist favourite in Kashmir, quietly stealing the limelight from traditional destinations like Pahalgam and Gulmarg.
Among the almond orchards, Srinagar’s iconic Badamwari Garden is witnessing a significant uptick in tourist footfalls over the last few days.
Located on the foot of awe-inspiring Hari Parbat hill, the garden sprawls over 300 kanals featuring thousands of almond trees—each one in full bloom displaying rich hues of pink and white.
The sight fills the tourist with joy as gentle breeze scatter the petals across the ground, creating a spellbinding atmosphere.
“It is a heavenly feeling here. I have seen such beautiful places only in movies,” said Rakesh Sharma, a tourist from Delhi.
He said that he visited the Valley for the first time in this season.
Since the almond blossom lasts from mid-March to mid-April, the Department of Floriculture is planning to introduce lavender to extend the tourist season.
“We are introducing lavender from next year; tourists will enjoy a new experience,” said a Floriculture official.
Almond bloom fest
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who also holds the tourism portfolio, inaugurated the almond bloom festival at Badamwari on Friday.
“This festival is not only to celebrate nature’s beauty, but also a step towards boosting tourism and promoting our cultural heritage,” said Abdullah.
Over the last few years, the government has been putting efforts to make the Valley a year-round tourist destination.
It has not only developed the off-beat tourist destinations, but also organises different festivals and carnivals to attract more tourists to the region.
During the on-going Budget session, the CM informed the Assembly that 23,590,081 tourists visited Jammu and Kashmir in 2024.
He said that off-beat destinations, including Gurez, Keran, Bungus, Tosamaidan, Aharbal, Doodhpathri, Machail, Bhaderwah, Sukrala Mata, and Pancheri were being developed to attract more visitors.
Valley and almonds
Kashmir is the leading producer of almonds in India, followed by Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra. In 2021–22, the Valley accounted for over 91 per cent of the country’s total almond production. However, cultivation in the region has seen a sharp decline over the past three decades with farmers taking to growing apple.
Almond orchards in Pulwama and Budgam districts that once sprawled thousands of hectares, have given way to apple plantations as farmers shift to more lucrative crops in response to market demands.
The area under almond cultivation shrank from 20,000 hectares in 1990 to over 5,000 hectares by 2020–21.
Published on April 6, 2025
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