Cherry cheer for Himachal growers as high demand pushes prices up

Cherry yield 35% lower due to dry winter this time; premium quality of fruit grown in Nankhari area of Himachal’s capital Shimla fetches record ₹400 to ₹900 a kg

Yield 35% lower due to dry winter this time; premium quality of fruit grown in Nankhari area of Shimla fetches record ₹400 to ₹900 a kg

The fruit’s arrival in markets was delayed by a fortnight due to the dry winter and hailstorms that damaged the crop. (HT File)

: Among the commercially grown stone fruits, cherries are the last trees to bloom and the first to be harvested. After the lean crop that resulted in losses last year, the cherry season got off to a good start this time with the premium quality of the fruit fetching ₹400 to ₹900 a kg.

The stone fruit arrival in state markets was delayed by a fortnight due to the dry winter and hailstorms that followed, damaging the crop. But growers are hopeful of reaping a rich harvest as the fruit is fetching double the rates of last year in view of the demand.

Last year, cherry reached the market on April 13 and could be bought for ₹200/kg. This time, the produce reached the market in April-end and the cherry grown in the Nankhari area of Shimla is available for a record ₹400/kg in the Dhalli market.

The highest production of cherry in the state is in the Nankhari, Kotgarh and Narkanda areas of Shimla district. In Delhi, which is the biggest market for cherries, a box costs between ₹300 to ₹400, while growers get ₹400 to ₹600 for black cherry and ₹900 to ₹1,100 for pannet cherry.

Yashwant Sharma, the director of a trading company at Dhalli fruit market, says at present the demand is local but the season is yet to take off with wholesale dealers from Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat making a beeline for the Himachal cherry.

Hoping to reap profit

Such is the demand that Raj Mehta, a fruit grower from Khadela Nankhari, says that cherry is being sold at the rate of ₹300 to ₹400 a box. Apart from the traditional red cherry, he has grown Stella, Merchant, and Nero Deero varieties in his orchard and is expecting to reap a good profit.

Cherry production in Himachal is 35% of the average production this year. “Due to the demand, the cherry that used to range from ₹80 to ₹600/kg are now in the bandwidth of ₹350- ₹950/kg this year. The small-sized cherry is available for ₹350/kg, while the bigger size one is for ₹600/kg,” says Deepak Singh, a fruit grower from Kotgarh who also heads the Plum Gowers Association.

Cherry crop in the mid-elevation is only 20% of the average output, while that in the mid to high elevation is 50%. “The market should stabilise at ₹500- ₹600/kg in view of the lower supply this year,” said Singha.

Chile is the largest exporter of cherries worldwide. Cherries from this country arrive in December and are sold for ₹1,500- ₹2,500/kg.

“The market committee has completed all preparations for this stone-fruit season,” says Devraj Kashyap, the secretary of the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee, Shimla.

Cherry over apple crop

Cherry is cultivated on nearly 550 hectares of the total fruit growing area. About 75% of cherry cultivation is done in the Shimla district. In many areas, people are preferring cherry farming over growing apples.

Compared to apples, the cherry plant is ready to bear fruit in three years but the apple takes 10 years.

In Shimla district, Narkanda, Kandyali, Kotgarh-Kumarsen, Rampur, Rohru and Kotkhai are the main areas of cherry cultivation. Red, Blackheart, Durane Nero, Stella, Celcier, Bing, Merchant and Sunburst are some of the commercial cherry varieties grown in the fruit-growing fruit belt of the Shimla district

Cherry is now being considered by farmers as a better alternative to apples. Apple trees take 10 years to grow , whereas cherry trees grow in three years.

Red, Black Heart, Durane Nero, Stella, Celcier, Bing, Merchant and Sunburst are some of the commercial cherry varieties grown in the Shimla district.