Srinagar, July 12: Unlike previous years, plum and cherry farmers in Kashmir have suffered losses this year owing to the hailstorms in March and April.
Farmers who produce plum and cherry said the torrential rains and hailstorms in early spring affected the produce and the market prices were also low.
Altaf Ahmad, a cherry farmer from Ganderbal said in March this year, the cherry orchards were hit by snowfall and cold winds when the orchards were in full bloom.
“However, after the blossom period ended, the weather remained unfavorable. We had expected a considerable increase in the cherry crop but that did not happen,” he said.
“Due to the delay owing to dip in temperature, the fruits did not ripen at the exact time. Last year there was better produce,” he said. Cherry is grown in many parts of Kashmir majorly in Ganderbal, Srinagar, Shopian and Baramulla.
Ishfaq Ahmad, another cherry farmer from Tangmarg who grows cherry in some ten kanals of land, said the hailstorm has damaged the cherry crop to a large extent.
“We did the recommended sprays after the hailstorm. Last year, we produced some 500 boxes but this year we produced some 200 cherry boxes,” he said.
Kousar Ahmad Dar, a farmer from Mamgund, Budgam, who owns four kanals of plum orchard, said this year heavy rains coupled with hailstorm have affected the plum fruits.
“The hailstorm caused injuries to the fruit. We have been facing the damage over the past two years. This year we did not sell the fruits as the fruit was injured. If a hailstorm would not have occurred then the market would have been good,” he said.
He said on the other side, the fruit has less life and should be transported and merchants were apprehensive.
Dar also owns a cherry orchard and said this year the cherry market remained down and the produce was also affected by the hailstorm. “We sold one cherry box at Rs 50 which is the minimum price. We are in huge losses this year,” he said.
“Our pea and bean produce was also damaged this year due to the hailstorm and heavy rains. We sent some produce to fruit mandi and we are yet to get the returns,” the farmer said.
“Huge quantities of pea were also damaged in our village that would fetch some 20 lakh for the whole village and we have suffered heavy losses this year,” he said.
Roughly, Kashmir annually produces 22,000 metric tonnes of cherry on 3000 hectare of land.
Subject Matter Specialist, Directorate of Horticulture Kashmir, Mohd Amin Bhat said cherry and plum both perishable crops, were damaged by rains and hailstorm.
“At many places, cherry trees developed cracks and farmers did not get good returns. Hailstorms also affected plum and apple,” he said.
The Subject Matter Specialist said J&K Government is working on Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS) and is in the process to involve a company for it.
Bhat also said that they have put cherry crop under the Revised High-Density Plantation Scheme and now they will bring more area under cherry crop with new varieties. “Through this scheme, cherries would be promoted at a large scale,” he said.
