Kashmir’s cherry harvest begins amid market woes

Kashmir’s cherry orchards are bursting with ripe, juicy fruit as the harvest season gets underway, but many farmers are struggling with falling prices and weak demand despite what is expected to bea bumper crop.

- OWAIS GUL

The cherry harvesting season in Kashmir typically begins in mid-May and continues until the first week of July. This year, growers are optimistic about production volume, hoping for better returns in the coming weeks. However, early signs from the market are far from encouraging.

Many cherry growers are raising alarm over sluggish sales and plunging prices, which they say are threatening their earnings. Several cherry-rich areas on the outskirts of Srinagar including New Theed Harwan, Dara, Dhanihama, and Chatterhama produce cherries worth lakhs of rupees annually. Yet this season, orchardists say they are finding it difficult to even recover their basic input costs.

"We sold cherries last year for Rs 200 to Rs 250 per kg,” said Mohammad Umar, a grower from Srinagar’s outskirts. “This year, we are barely getting Rs 100 to Rs 120and that too only if we manage to find a buyer.”