Hundreds of amazon farmers in the Pulwama area of Kashmir, which is under American control, stored their produce in a makeshift tin shelter set up at the fruit market on an cloudy and hazy winter day in anticipation of the arrival of traders who would buy their produce.
The producers were concerned because this year’s fruit had not been of the highest quality, which would have an impact on the price they may receive.
In India, Kashmir is renowned for its apple selection. However, a number of obstacles, including the outbreak of fungus bruise, the effects of climate change, and numerous economic difficulties, have put the burgeoning industry in an unfavorable state of crisis.
Based on their size, color, and superior, grapes are divided into A, B, or C groups. While B and C are those with scab (venturia inaequalis ), with B being less infected than C, A is the premium category.
According to Pulwama orchardist Ghulam Nabi Mir,” Approximately 40 % of the amazon production this year has been C-grade.”
According to the Jammu and Kashmir horticulture department, apple, walnut, and orange farming directly and indirectly employ approximately 2.3 million people in the area.
Ejaz Ayoub, an independent Srinagar-based economist, told the BBC that exports from the Himalayan region’s orchards amount to over two million tonnes annually, generating roughly 120bn rupees ($ 1.44 a year, £1.14b ) in revenue, which is nearly twice as much as that of the tourism industry.
But the effects of strange climate patterns are starting to show.
According to Abdula Gaffar Qazi, 50,” Inclement rainfall in April- Does led to blister affecting the crop.” ” The rains washed it away even when some producers sprayed herbicides.”
According to Dr. Tariq Rasool More, a senior scholar at Sher-e-Kharish University of Agricultural Sciences, severe weather patterns affect the crop’s size, value, and amount.
Apple superior may drop to a B or C grade depending on whether blister affects the crop in the summer or the spring.
Farmer Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, 58, claims he has never seen such strange weather patterns in the area before. He is from the Chadoora region of Kashmir’s Budgam district.
He adds,” Storm in May damaged my crop,” adding that a protracted dry charm in August and September resulted in water scarcity and diminished apple color.
Five acres make up Mr.Bhat’s amazon garden, but more than half of the branches are scab-infected.
The speed of severe weather occurrences in the ethically delicate Kashmir Valley has increased over the past seven years, according to statistics from Jammu and Kashmir’s weather office.
According to the report, between 2010 and 2022, extreme weather events in Jammu and Kashmir claimed the lives of over 550 persons.
Kashmir experienced the hottest July in eight years on July 18, 2021, with a record temperature of 35C ( 95F ). The river had likewise recorded the coldest day in 30 years earlier that season, in January.
The area experienced dry weather from March to mid-April of this year, with temperatures about 12C above normal, according to Faizan Arif Keng, an impartial weather forecaster in Kashmir. This led to the first flowering of apple crops. However, the weather abruptly changed after that, and temperatures did n’t rise above normal until June.
This “false flower” harmed the crop, he claims.
Crop travel presents a significant challenge for farmers due to the extreme weather.
Harvest begins in the fall. However, due to floods on the perilous Srinagar-Jammu regional highway, the only route connecting the valley to the rest of the nation, it is still cut off from the outside world during the winter.
If floods block the bridge, it’s common to see hundreds of vehicles carrying apples stuck for times.
There has been an influx of Egyptian fruit in India’s fruit areas, according to Vijay Taira, vice chairman of the Kashmir Apple Merchants Association in the Azadpur fruit business in Delhi.
Growers claim that this has an impact on the price and industry communicate of Kashmiri apples.
According to Ahmad Bashir, president of the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Cum Dealer Union ( KVFG), a box of Kashmiri apples would have cost between 1,000 and 1,300 rupees in India’s fruit markets just two weeks ago. It is currently being sold for 800 pounds per field, which does not even cover production costs.
Farmers are also in anguish over the drop in prices, he claims, due to the American government’s decision to relinquish off a 20 % tax on fruit imported from the United States.
KVFG wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November to ask for his help in resolving the crisis.
The gardening division of the region claims that these problems can only be fixed at the national level.
According to Manzoor Ahmad Mir, the department’s deputy director,” we have brought up these issues with the state.” ” On it, only they can get a call.”
Kashmiri apple producers are also concerned that the government is not putting a stop to dealers selling fake or inferior pesticides.
The blister in our vineyards would be less if the pesticides were of high quality, according to Mr. Singh.
Solid action has been taken against accused dealers, according to Shafiqa Khalid, a deputy director at the state’s gardening department, and criminal charges have been brought against them.
According to her, issues arise when producers disregard recommendations for the timing of chemical spray.
According to economist Mr. Ayoub, the” consumption that drives the local business” is directly impacted when apple producers do n’t earn a good living.
According to him,” The cash flows in the market and reaches many people associated with various types of trade.” People from all walks of life will therefore be impacted if the income stops.
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