First windrow composting unit set up at Sopore fruit mandi: Govt

Jammu, Mar 27: The government on Friday informed the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly that it established the first windrow composting unit at the Fruit and Vegetable Market in Sopore under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme in the year 2025-26.
In response to a query posed by MLA Irshad Rasool Kar, the government, said that the Sopore unit has completed its trial run successfully and is expected to become operational during the upcoming fruit season.
The facility has a processing capacity of 24 metric tonnes per day and 720 metric tonnes per month on a trial basis.
The government further informed that three additional composting units are planned at fruit and vegetable markets in Shopian, Bandipora and Jablipora in the coming years.
However, the Sopore unit has not been fully operationalised yet. Authorities said only trial runs have been conducted so far, and no revenue has been generated from compost or byproducts.
The initiative, the government said, aims to convert large volumes of horticultural waste generated at major mandis into compost, reducing environmental impact and supporting sustainable agriculture. (KNO)