~ 308 ~ JOURNAL of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 2019; 8(2): 308-312 E-ISSN: 2278-4136 P-ISSN: 2349-8234 JPP 2019; 8(2): 308-312 Received: 06-01-2019 Accepted: 10-02-2019 Farheen Naqash Division of Agricultural Economics & Marketing, Sher-e- Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India SA Wani Division of Agricultural Economics & Marketing, Sher-e- Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India Naveed Hamid DAC&FW, New Delhi, India Correspondence Farheen Naqash Division of Agricultural Economics & Marketing, Sher-e- Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India Economics of controlled atmosphere storage of apple in Jammu and Kashmir State Farheen Naqash, SA Wani and Naveed Hamid Abstract The study focuses on Economics aspect of Controlled Atmosphere Storage of Apple in Jammu and Kashmir State of India. The study depicted that there are problems of inadequate CA store facilities for fresh fruits. It has been observed from the field studies that no CA store was found in the Baramulla district an important producing hub for apple, although a small percentage of the fruit was kept in the CA stores located at other places in the valley. The quantity that finds accommodation in the CA stores does not suffice the need of the customers. On account of non-availability of required number of CA stores, many growers after harvesting apple, store them in orchards with huge spoilage because of dampness, high temperature and humidity problems. The study revealed that Overall 10 to 25 percent of fruits get destroyed in this way. Besides, the quality of the produce is also affected adversely due to lack of cold storage facilities and the chances for damages to the fruits. The grower’s capacity to hold stock for better prices during off-season also gets considerably reduced when storage facilities is minimal. The paper revealed that these facts compel the growers to dispose off their produce in the shortest possible time. This situation naturally leads to a slump in the market prices and thereby the growers fail to harvest good prices. Extended storages facilities in the potential areas at the block/tehsil level may prolong the marketing season and may prove beneficial to the growers. An important concern CA stores and the processing plants face that they incur high power expenses. Keywords: controlled atmosphere, non-availability, off-season, marketing 1. Introduction Since most processors cannot use the whole harvest they receive, some fruit is stored, for short term. Other fruit is stored refrigerated in a temperature range of 1 to 4°C, depending on the cultivar. The next level of storage is controlled atmosphere (CA). CA storage usually consists of a modified atmosphere, 2 to 3 percent oxygen and 1 to 4 percent carbon dioxide, at a reduced temperature. The exact specifications are adjusted to the cultivar being stored. Apples can maintain quality under these conditions for 4 to 6 months. Only the highest quality apples destined for the fresh market are placed in CA storage. However, many times the fresh market price will drop to the point that CA apples will be dumped to a processing market. Apples from CA storage should be allowed to "normalize" for a few days before processing. These apples from refrigerated storage are capable of producing good quality processed product. Processors take into consideration that different qualities of juice or applesauce can be manufactured from the same cultivar, depending on the type of storage, time of storage and stage of maturity when processed. Advances in controlled atmosphere technology have had a dramatic effect on apple storage logistics and opened up markets hitherto unavailable for fresh and processed apple products. This is an advantage not fully shared by other fruit crops whose shelf life extension by CA is much less. (a) Storage facilities There are essentially three types of storage buildings for apples: air cooled storage, mechanically refrigerated storage and refrigerated and controlled-atmosphere (CA) storage. i) Air-cooled storage These storage houses cool by admitting cold night air (applicable climates) at inlets near the floor of an insulated building and forcing upper accumulated warm air out at outlets near the ceiling. Both openings are closed during the day. These storages are economical and effective in areas where the night air becomes cooler than the accumulated air in the storage house. ii) Mechanically refrigerated storage For longer periods of storage than is afforded by the air-cooled storages, mechanical