Bumper strawberry harvest in Valley

Rifat Mohidin

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 29

Quiet Gusoo village, located on the outskirts of Srinagar’s Hazratbal, has earned the name of ‘Village of Strawberries.’ No wonder, this year’s bumper yield justifies this epithet.

Almost all families in the village are involved in strawberry production. Haji Abdul Ahad Mir, 64, who was among the first group of people to start the trend in the Valley, says that as many as 11 imported varieties of the fruit are being cultivated in the village. “This year the production is good and more people are getting involved in it due to favourable weather conditions and profits it reaps. Though it needs a lot of hard work, demand among tourists and other areas is good, ” Mir said.

Strawberry is the first fruit in the Kashmir valley that grows after the six months of harsh winter. However, Mir says that the prices of the crop have been same for last few years which has made it difficult to meet the rising labour cost.

With a lifespan of only one month, strawberry is sold in the peak season from mid-May through June. This year’s high yield is good news not only for the local markets but Delhi and other areas also.

In the Valley, more than 500 hectares is under strawberry cultivation, which yields about 15,000 metric tonnes every year. The largest belt is in Srinagar district at Gusoo while Ganderbal, Budgam, Bandipora, Tangmarg also contribute significantly to the produce, according to the Department of Horticulture.

“Weather in May is very important for strawberry harvest, this year it remained mainly dry. The production has been bumper. A single hectare of land produces 30 metric tonnes of the crop on an average,” says Manzoor Ahmad Bhat, an expert with the Kashmir Department of Horticulture, adding the Chandler variety of strawberry is mostly grown in farms in the state.

The department is also helping the growers in expanding their production by providing planting material with 100 per cent subsidies. “The demand in the market is also good due to the huge tourist inflow this year. As the fruit has a small shelf life, it mostly caters to the local market. Slowly the farmers in other parts of Kashmir are also trying to grow strawberries,” Bhat added.