Rising KashmirRising KashmirRising Kashmir
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • News
    • Kashmir
    • City
    • Jammu
    • Politics
  • Health
  • Anchor
  • Features
  • Interview
  • Video
Search

Archives

  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022

Categories

  • Anchor
  • Breaking
  • Business
  • City
  • Developing Story
  • Editorial
  • Education
  • Features
  • Health
  • Interview
  • Jammu
  • Jammu and Kashmir News
  • Kashmir
  • Kashmir Tourism
  • Kath Bath
  • National
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Technology
  • Top Stories
  • Trending
  • Uncategorized
  • Video
  • Viewpoint
  • World
© 2022 Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Plum : A lackluster harvest
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Rising KashmirRising Kashmir
Font ResizerAa
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • News
  • Health
  • Anchor
  • Features
  • Interview
  • Video
Search
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • News
    • Kashmir
    • City
    • Jammu
    • Politics
  • Health
  • Anchor
  • Features
  • Interview
  • Video
Follow US
© 2024. All Rights Reserved.
Rising Kashmir > Blog > Features > Plum : A lackluster harvest
Features

Plum : A lackluster harvest

Javid Sofi
Last updated: July 21, 2024 11:32 am
Javid Sofi
Published: July 21, 2024
Share
4 Min Read
Delicious red plum fruit wallpaper
SHARE

Pulwama: This year’s plum harvest across Kashmir, despite being bountiful, has left local growers disheartened due to significantly low market rates per kilogram.

The stone fruit, which many farmers hoped would bring substantial profits, has instead mirrored the fate of last year’s apple harvest, bringing financial distress to those who depend on it.

Ghulam Hassan Sofi, a marginal farmer from Wahibugh village in Pulwama district, expressed distress and said, “Last year, despite a low yield, we got a decent price of rupees 60 per kilogram. This year, even with a good crop, the rate has plummeted to rupees 20 per kilogram”.

This drastic drop in price has severely impacted growers’ incomes, many of whom have been suffering from low market demand since last year.

In 2023, low demand for apples forced farmers to store their produce in controlled atmosphere (CA) stores, hoping for better prices during the off-season.

However, even then, they barely covered their costs due to additional storage expenses.

This season, farmers anticipated good returns from the plum harvest, but their hopes have been dashed as the fruit followed the same disappointing trajectory as apples.

Shakir Ahmad, a Plum trader from Kazipora village in Budgam, shed light on another issue affecting plum prices. “Growers from plain areas harvested the fruit early, when it was still unripe, leading to lower market rates. However, in the past few days, the market has improved, and we expect growers from the Kandi belt to get better rates,” he noted.

He observed that approximately 80% of the plums purchased from farmers are stored in CA stores at the industrial growth centre in Lassipora, with only 20% reaching the market immediately.

Shabir Ahmad, a plum grower from Ranger village in Chadoora Tehsil of Budgam, shared his woes about the financial viability of plum farming.

“We can hardly recover the costs of labour and pesticides from the sale of our produce. Last year, a large quantity of plums stored in CA stores rotted, leading to heavy losses for many prominent dealers. As a result, these dealers are hesitant to purchase plums this season, contributing to the low demand,” he explained.

He observed that this year, dealers are cautious, storing only the best quality plums in cold storage facilities while segregating out stained and lower quality fruit.

This selective storage is intended to prevent a repeat of last year’s losses.

Javid Ahmad Bhat, Chief Horticulture Officer of Pulwama, emphasised the need for exploring different marketing strategies for plums and other major horticulture crops like apples.

“Apple stored in CA stores last year did not fetch the expected rates, adding the burden of storage charges on growers. It’s time to think beyond traditional marketing techniques and explore different channels, including direct marketing,” he advised.

He acknowledged that while farmers have been storing plums in CA stores for the past couple of years, there have been failures due to the perishable nature of the crop.

“We need storage interventions to increase the shelf life of plums so that their supply in the market can be regulated. Horticulture Planning and Marketing must seek alternative strategies to benefit the farmers,” Bhat concluded.

To share more about the situation, the Authorities from the Horticulture Planning and Marketing Department were unavailable for comment.

A silent painter
Kashmir’s Women Paramedics: The silent saviours of healthcare
The Psychology of Money
Alluring hamlet of Naranag
The vanishing Traditional practice of making Kashmiri ‘Tehri’ (Tehar)

Sign Up For Daily Newsletter

Be keep up! Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.
By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Share This Article
Facebook Whatsapp Whatsapp Copy Link Print
Previous Article Meet the man of Prowess: Kashmir’s deaf Cricketer representing India on the International stage
Next Article Doodpathri: A perfect getaway for nature enthusiasts
Leave a Comment Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Stay Connected

1MFollowersLike
262kFollowersFollow
InstagramFollow
234kSubscribersSubscribe
Google NewsFollow

Latest News

“Time has come for a new normal against terrorism”: Shashi Tharoor
Breaking National
May 26, 2025
Missing Srinagar boy’s body recovered from Jhelum after 3 days
Breaking Kashmir
May 26, 2025
Trump reinstates
Trump slams Putin, says war in Ukraine caused by ‘crazy’ actions and bad leadership
Breaking World
May 26, 2025
Hyderpora underpass turns into cab stand, sparks safety concerns
City
May 26, 2025

Recent Posts

  • “Time has come for a new normal against terrorism”: Shashi Tharoor
  • Missing Srinagar boy’s body recovered from Jhelum after 3 days
  • Trump slams Putin, says war in Ukraine caused by ‘crazy’ actions and bad leadership
  • Hyderpora underpass turns into cab stand, sparks safety concerns
  • Bear-Proof Corral unveiled to tackle human-wildlife conflict in Drass

Recent Comments

  1. SavePlus on AI and Behavioural Analytics in Gaming: Making the World of Gaming Better
  2. Parul on Govt acknowledges faulty streetlights on Narbal-Tangmarg road
  3. dr gora on Women Veterinarians and the Goal of Viksit Bharat
  4. jalwa game login on National Education Policy 2020: Transforming India’s Educational System
  5. Virender Bhat on Pahalgam Attack: A War on Humanity, Peace, and Kashmiriyat

Contact Us

Flat No 7,Press Enclave, Srinagar, 190001
0194 2477887
9971795706
[email protected]
[email protected]

Quick Link

  • E-Paper
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Top Categories

Stay Connected

1.06MLike
262.5kFollow
InstagramFollow
234.3kSubscribe
WhatsAppFollow
Rising KashmirRising Kashmir
Follow US
© 2025. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?