Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh Vinai Kumar Saxena is scheduled to flag off the season’s first export consignment of fresh Halman apricots from Kargil to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in New Delhi on Wednesday, marking the beginning of this year’s export season for one of the region’s premium horticultural products.Kunzang Wangmo, Chief Horticulture Officer (CHO), told businessline that the five-metric-tonne consignment will be dispatched from Ladakh Bhavan in New Delhi.The shipment was originally scheduled for July 14 but was rescheduled, she said.The export comes months after the Ladakh administration signed a memorandum of understanding with Lulu Retail, a leading UAE-based retail conglomerate operating one of the Middle East’s largest hypermarket networks, to facilitate exports of 1,000 metric tonne of Ladakhi apricots this season.The target marks a significant scale-up from last year, when only 1.5 metric tonne of Halman apricots were exported to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar.Apricot cultivation is a key pillar of Ladakh’s horticulture sector, supporting the livelihoods of more than 30,000 farming families. The crop is grown over nearly 2,600 hectares, with annual production of around 15,868 metric tonne. Ladakh is also India’s largest producer of dried apricots, contributing nearly 1,999 metric tonne annually.The region cultivates several traditional apricot varieties, distinguished by the taste of their kernels and the colour of the stone. Fruits with bitter kernels are locally known as khante, while those with sweet kernels are called nyarmo.Harvesting typically begins in mid-July and continues until the end of August, when orchards across Ladakh are abuzz with activity as farmers sort, grade and pack fruit for markets across India.“This is the busiest time of the year for us. We are harvesting the fruit and preparing consignments for buyers in different parts of India,” said Hanif Hussain, an apricot grower from Kargil.The sector received a boost in 2021 when Raktsey Karoo apricots were granted a Geographical Indication (GI) tag, recognising their unique quality and origin while helping strengthen their position in premium domestic and overseas markets.Officials and growers say expanding export opportunities are expected to boost farm incomes, encourage value addition, and further strengthen Ladakh’s horticulture economy.Published on July 14, 2026