‘Char e Sharief fruit Mandi receive dozens of fruit laden vehicles everyday’
Srinagar: The Apple harvest process is picking pace in central Kashmir’s Budgam district, with Char e Sharief fruit Mandi receiving dozens of fruit laden vehicles routinely form last some days, fruit growers told .
The inhabitants of Karewas (Wudur) areas thronged to their orchards to pluck the apple varieties like Kinnor,Kullu,and Delicious after its neighboring areas started harvesting their staple crop.
“When the farmers here started harvesting paddy crop, the apple growers also jumped into the field,” Bilal Ahmad from Chadoora told , adding, the people were waiting for more than a month to harvest the cash crop.
The inhabitants here said that the agricultural activities have been going on normally like harvesting of vegetables from popular Bugam Village to harvesting of paddy crop in Chattergam and its adjoining area, however, the apple crop was dragged deliberately by people here.
Flanked by other growers, Ahmad said nobody actually knows that who had asked the apple growers here not to pluck the apples this season and similarly, no one has told them to pluck the apples now. “Here people are deciding every activity by themselves,” they told.
Dozens of growers have sold their fruits under the NAFED scheme in the district, while others preferred traditional sale- in which prices of the fruit boxes are settled after proper bargaining between seller and buyer.
However, the traders carry their business activities in the evening hours at Char-e-Sharief fruit Mandi and there is no buzz during the morning hours.
The prevailing situation in Kashmir post abrogation of Article 370 and 35A by Centre on August 5 has put life on halt and the apple growers have also decided not to pluck apple crop in the wake of revocation of special status.
In these tough times, the fruit growers have settled for lesser prices this season despite proper processing, packaging and transportation. In recent years thousands of Kanals of paddy land was converted into apple orchards here. (KNO)
