Srinagar: Farmers have incurred huge losses as rates of prized Kashmiri fruits have dropped by 40 percent.
The harvesting season has just started and a few varieties of apples, plums, pears, and apricots have hit the market.
However, prices and demand have hit a new low even before the bulk fruit is harvested.
President, Fruit Association, Sopore, Fayaz Ahmad Malik told The Kashmir Monitor that the supply of fruit was more compared to the demand in the market.
“Today almost 40 trucks loaded with apples, and plums have left for various markets outside J&K . The rates, however, are not satisfactory. Compared to the previous years, we get very low prices for all the varieties of apples, plums, and pears, ” he said.
Malik said that compared to the previous year’s rate of Rs 250 per half box, the Hazratbal variety of apples is sold at Rs 150.
“Similarly, plums, which cost Rs 250 last year are selling at Rs 120. Pears too don’t have a good demand in the market,” he said.
This is even though apple growers claimed the quality of fruit has been “up to the mark”.
“We have a good quality apple this season so far. The quality of Hazratbali, which is the first apple variety of the season, is good compared to the previous years. There is something wrong with the market due to which the demand is not good,” said Mohammad Ayaz Khan, an apple grower.
Growers also fear that persisting dry weather conditions may hit the fruits at the ripening stage.
“It has not rained for more than a month now. The apple quality may deteriorate due to the prolonged dry season, which can directly impact the market. They are apprehensions that pests and other insects may infest the apple trees and damage the crop,” Malik said.
Pertinently, this year the demand for the CA-stored apple too had reduced which caused a huge loss to the growers and dealers.
Usually against six months, this year even the growers prolonged the storage of apples in CA stores to 10 months following low demand for the fruit in the market.
