Srinagar, June 29: With favourable weather conditions, farmers in Srinagar are witnessing a fruitful apricot harvest season, with a promising yield of the prized fruit.The introduction of new varieties, including Irani, Afghani and Harcot apricots, has boosted demand and led to an increase in the number of consumers, giving farmers high hopes for strong returns this season. In addition to apricots, farmers are also expecting a good harvest of several other fruits, such as cherries, strawberries, mulberries, plums, apples, and pears, in Srinagar’s Zakura Valley. “The weather plays a very important role in the harvesting of the crop and this year we have been very lucky. There are a lot of varieties in this fruit, and with that, the number of consumers has also increased,” said Mohammad Altaf, a local farmer.Another farmer said: “We are experiencing a very good yield this year… Besides apricots, we have had a great crop of strawberries as well. These fruits are now being consumed across India.”Earlier, on June 23, rainfall in Jammu and Kashmir’s Chanthal village brought renewed hope to farmers growing paddy crops. Local farmer Ganesh Sharma expressed his joy, saying the rain would benefit them. “The rain is fine and now we are planting paddy. We grow a lot of paddy and vegetables, and the rain that we have received has also benefited us… We used the canal water as well as the rainwater.”
