Srinagar, Aug 5: Mohammad Akram Mir of Budgam owns a kanal of land which he utilizes to grow vegetables. Interestingly, he grows only collard greens, locally called Haakh, given its demand throughout the year.
This season, however, he lost 80 percent of his crop to pests. “Growing Haakh is my passion because it is an essential and most common vegetable cooked by Kashmiris. Haakh became the first casualty of the prolonged dry season this summer. Pest infestation caused huge damages to the standing crop,” he said.
Like Mir, farmers from Kashmir complain about massive pest infestation in Haakh gardens.
This pest infestation has caused a decline of nearly 70 percent in production which has led to cost escalation in the market.
According to Bashir Ahmad Bashir, president Parimpora Fruit Mandi, the Haakh production and supplies have been severely affected this season.
“We are getting reports that the Haakh crop has been affected by pests. There is a dip of nearly 70 percent in the production and supply. The Haakh supplied by the farmers is not of good quality,” he said.
The only silver lining is that Kawdari Haakh has survived the pest attack. “This variety sells at exorbitant rates,” he said.
Bashir said following the dip in production, the rates of the vegetable have increased by 30-40 percent.
“At wholesale mandis, Haakh is being sold at Rs 50-60 per kilogram. It is sold at Rs 70 per kilogram in retail. It is for the first time that prices of this vegetable have skyrocketed,” he said.
Farmers said the pest infestation happened despite regular spraying of pesticides. “This has primarily happened due to the prolonged dry weather. Haakh has been the only vegetable which used to survive weather vagaries as people have a vast experience growing this vegetable, ” said Sajad Nabi Bhat, a farmer from Baramulla.
Officials at the agriculture department said farmers across the valley have suffered due to the prolonged dry season. “We have some more varieties of collard green which grows in autumn and winter. This summer, some of the vegetables have suffered pest infestation and the department also advised growers to follow the advisories,” he said.
