Kashmir's cherry harvest begins amid market woes

United News of India

26-05-2025

Srinagar, May 26 (UNI) 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 be a bumper crop.
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 120 — and that too only if we manage to find a buyer.'
He explained that high operational costs, including transport, packaging, and labour, already consume much of their margins.
'Now, with the market at a standstill, it's a struggle to break even,' he added.
According to Umar, the attack in Pahalgam on April 22 has also affected tourism, which has hit cherry sales.
'Most of our buyers in Kashmir were tourists. Now that they've stopped coming, who will buy our cherries?' he asked.
Kashmir grows four main varieties of cherry: Awwal Number, Double, Mishri, and Makhmali. The softer varieties are sold locally, while the firmer ones, especially Mishri and Makhmali, are sold to major cities across India. The perishability of cherries remains a major challenge.
In a first-of-its-kind initiative to support cherry transportation, the Jammu railway division is set to operate a dedicated parcel van carrying cherry boxes from Katra station to Bandra in Mumbai starting June 3. The van will ferry 20 tonnes of cherries three times a week, with the cargo expected to reach Mumbai within 30 hours.
'We have already paid over Rs 2 lakh in freight charges to the Railways,' said Bashir Ahmad Basheer, president of the New Kashmir Fruit Association, based at Fruit Mandi Parimpora — one of the Valley's key fruit trading hubs alongside Sopore Mandi.
According to a horticulture department official, cherries are cultivated on approximately 2,800 hectares of land in Kashmir, with an annual turnover of Rs 130 to Rs 150 crore. The Union Territory produces around 12,000 to 14,000 metric tonnes of cherries each year, depending on winter and spring weather patterns.
'Cherry is the season's first major fruit. It brings early income to growers, helping them manage and maintain other crops,' the official said. 'But it's still too early to predict how the market will behave this year.'
Cherries are cultivated across the Kashmir Valley, but the produce from Shopian in South Kashmir and Tangmarg in North Kashmir is particularly prized for its quality.
Fayaz Ahmad Malik, President of Sopore Fruit Mandi — Asia's largest fruit trading centre — said they are expecting a strong harvest in the weeks to come.
UNI MJR PRS