Srinagar, Mar 29: This Ramadan has been a very fruitful for the people of Kashmir compared to last year as Valleyites consumed a record number of dates and fruit especially watermelon and Banana. The people of Kashmir consumed dates worth Rs 30 crore, watermelon worth over Rs 72 crore and Banana valued Rs 65 crore, which is a record in recent years.
Data accessed by Rising Kashmir and compiled by the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers-Cum Deal-ers Union indicates that the largest fruit mandi at Parimpora, Srinagar, saw an influx of 60 truck-loads of watermelon every day during the month. “Each truckload costs around Rs 4 lakh, mean-ing the people of Kashmir consumed watermelon worth Rs 72 crore this Ramadan,” said Basheer Ahmed Bashir, president of the Union. He noted that this year’s sales were significantly higher compared to 2024 when rumours about adulterated watermelons had caused a drop in sales. “Last year, there were strong rumours claiming that watermelons were being injected with chemi-cals to ripen them artificially, which led to reduced sales. However, this year we’ve seen record sales,” Bashir added.
As for dates, Bashir mentioned that Kashmiris consumed between Rs 25 crore and Rs 30 crore worth of dates during the 28 days of Ramadan. “This is also a record. People have consumed a variety of dates including Mejdool, Ajwa, Kalmi, and others in large quantities this Ramadan,” he explained.
The Parimpora Mandi also saw a record number of banana truckloads this year. “The mandi re-ceived 30 truckloads of bananas daily, with each truck costing Rs 6 lakh to Rs 7 lakh. This means that Kashmir consumed bananas worth Rs 64 crore during Ramadan,” Bashir said.
In addition to watermelon and bananas, grapes and melons were also consumed in large quanti-ties. “The mandi received 30 truckloads of melons daily, totaling nearly 900 truckloads of melons in the month. Each truckload is worth Rs 5 lakh,” Bashir noted. “Grapes were also consumed in equal quantities.”
Bashir pointed out a shift in fruit consumption trends this Ramadan. “Papayas saw strong de-mand this season, with almost ten truckloads arriving daily at the mandi. Each truckload is worth Rs 3 lakh,” he said.
Regarding the origins of the watermelon consignments, Bashir explained, “Watermelons come from Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. While it requires a lot of hard work, the prices this season were more reasonable compared to last year. Despite the weather not being as hot, water-melon remained the favorite fruit of Kashmiris.”
When asked about the reasons behind the surge in watermelon and banana consumption, Bashir said that, apart from dates—which are traditionally consumed to break the fast—these two fruits became staples at Iftaar gatherings, whether hosted by politicians or local mosques.
