Ladakh Apricot Drying Leh Ladakh

Ladakh produces a distinctive variety of small, sun-dried organic apricot (Prunus armeniaca) in the Indus valley orchards of Leh, Nubra, and Sham districts at altitudes between 2,500 and 3,500 meters. The apricots are naturally sun-dried in the high-altitude desert air without sulphur dioxide treatment, producing sweet, chewy dried fruit prized for its intense flavour and absence of preservatives. Ladakhi families also press apricot kernel oil used in cooking, skin care, and traditional medicine. The apricot harvest season is July-August. The Leh Ladakh Apricot Growers Cooperative handles direct-to-consumer sales in Delhi and Leh and supply to premium natural food companies. The Social Forestry Division of Ladakh supports apricot orchard development as a food security and livelihood program. Organic certification and direct export to European natural food buyers is being developed.