MASROOR AHMAD
BUDGAM: With a significant improvement in weather conditions the cherry picking has begun in many parts of the central north and south Kashmir
The varieties of cherry are being harvested in Srinagar, Budgam , Sopore, Ganderbal and Shopian districts, but due to bad weather conditions this year fruit Mandi Parimpora received very less quantity of cherries.
Ghulam Qadir Bhat, a cherry dealer in Parimpora fruit Mandi told The State Times on Monday that this year we received very low quantity of cherries because weather conditions were not favourable throughout the Valley in past two months.
He said this year cherry farmers were expecting reap bumper crop but due to heavy hailstorm ranging in size from small to large stones causing significant harm to the Cherry, Strawberry including Apple orchards and other agriculture crops.
The sudden and destructive hail storm swept through dozen of villages across north and other parts of Kashmir.
Another cherry grower and dealer, Abdul Hameed Bhat of Batpora area of Srinagar told the State Times , that this year we are facing heavy losses and this is not only in north or south Kashmir but also in central parts of Kashmir like Budgam including parts of Srinagar where cherry fruit is cultivating like Theed, Harwen and Batpora.
According to Chief Horticulture Officer Ganderbal Kashmir Abdul Hameed, harvesting of cherry is in full swing, around 4700 hectares of land are under cherry cultivation in Jammu and Kashmir. He said that the region produces annually around 13000 to 15000 thousand metric tons of cherries and are harvesting from different districts, while as this year weather conditions was not as much as favourable this is the main reason that farmers are not satisfied.
Over the past two years the farmers cultivation horticulture crops suffered losses, initially due to COVID-19 outbreak , inclement weather conditions and last year due to continuous blockade of NH44 most of the fruit got damaged ,and now this year once again farmers are witnessing inclement weather and heavy losses.
Kashmir is famous for the Double and Makhmali cherries, double cherry is mostly used by food processing industry as canned cherry in Kashmir and out-side the valley as well.
The Kashmir Valley fruit Growers and Dealers Union has been pleading with the government to implement the crop Insurance Scheme so that there will be a little relief in the event of minor calamities, but the scheme is not yet implemented which may kindly be introduced in the interest of fruit growers.
