Photos: In Kashmir, cherries are ready and ripe— markets not quite

By HT Correspondent

Updated On May 28, 2020 11:01 am IST

Cherry farmers have started harvesting the fruit in Kashmir, but restrictions brought about by the country’s lockdown to combat the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) have them staring at losses despite a favourable harvest. This extremely perishable crop is finding it hard to make its way into markets due to logistical and supply chain roadblocks and help lift farmer incomes after the year’s apple crop took a beating due to inclement weather.

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Farm workers sit in an orchard to sort and pack freshly harvested cherries in Lar town, Jammu & Kashmir, on May 26. The cherry crop in Kashmir valley is ripe with abundant fruit but farmers fear losses this year due to difficulties in produce making its way to markets because of lockdown restrictions. (Waseem Andrabi / HT Photo)

Updated on May 28, 2020 11:01 am IST

Farm workers sit in an orchard to sort and pack freshly harvested cherries in Lar town, Jammu & Kashmir, on May 26. The cherry crop in Kashmir valley is ripe with abundant fruit but farmers fear losses this year due to difficulties in produce making its way to markets because of lockdown restrictions. (Waseem Andrabi / HT Photo)

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A farm worker plucks cherries at an orchard in Lar town. The valley has produced approximately 12,000 metric tons of cherry this year --300 metric tons more than last year. Under normal circumstance, almost a fourth of this crop would have headed for export, Manzoor Ahmad Mir, deputy director horticulture planning and marketing told HT. (Waseem Andrabi / HT Photo)

Updated on May 28, 2020 11:01 am IST

A farm worker plucks cherries at an orchard in Lar town. The valley has produced approximately 12,000 metric tons of cherry this year --300 metric tons more than last year. Under normal circumstance, almost a fourth of this crop would have headed for export, Manzoor Ahmad Mir, deputy director horticulture planning and marketing told HT. (Waseem Andrabi / HT Photo)

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Fruit being dumped from collection buckets to be sorted and packed in the orchard itself. The closure of markets during lockdown, restricted spending by consumers and difficulties in getting produce from farms to markets beyond the Valley make up the bulk of farmers’ concerns. (Waseem Andrabi / HT Photo)

Updated on May 28, 2020 11:01 am IST

Fruit being dumped from collection buckets to be sorted and packed in the orchard itself. The closure of markets during lockdown, restricted spending by consumers and difficulties in getting produce from farms to markets beyond the Valley make up the bulk of farmers’ concerns. (Waseem Andrabi / HT Photo)

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There are four types of cherries in Kashmir- Awwal Number, Double, Mishri and Makhmali. The latter two are exported to other states. With the region’s apple crop hit by bad weather earlier this year, hopes rest even more on the cherry crop to make up for lost incomes. (Waseem Andrabi / HT Photo)

Updated on May 28, 2020 11:01 am IST

There are four types of cherries in Kashmir- Awwal Number, Double, Mishri and Makhmali. The latter two are exported to other states. With the region’s apple crop hit by bad weather earlier this year, hopes rest even more on the cherry crop to make up for lost incomes. (Waseem Andrabi / HT Photo)

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Perishable and with a short shelf life, the fruit crop risks being spoilt before it reaches customers due to logistical issues brought about by the lockdown. “Fruit is ready but there are no cardboard boxes in the market to pack the fruit. Industries are closed so there is scarcity of boxes,” Mudasir Ahmad Lone, a farmer from Baramulla told HT. (Waseem Andrabi / HT Photo)

Updated on May 28, 2020 11:01 am IST

Perishable and with a short shelf life, the fruit crop risks being spoilt before it reaches customers due to logistical issues brought about by the lockdown. “Fruit is ready but there are no cardboard boxes in the market to pack the fruit. Industries are closed so there is scarcity of boxes,” Mudasir Ahmad Lone, a farmer from Baramulla told HT. (Waseem Andrabi / HT Photo)

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Farmers have also demanded free movement of fruit trucks until Amritsar. The railways appears to have stepped in to ease farmers’ burden, agreeing to transport crop from June 1, after requests to help send Kashmir’s cherries from Amritsar to markets in Delhi and Mumbai lest this year’s crop spoil. (Waseem Andrabi / HT Photo)

Updated on May 28, 2020 11:01 am IST

Farmers have also demanded free movement of fruit trucks until Amritsar. The railways appears to have stepped in to ease farmers’ burden, agreeing to transport crop from June 1, after requests to help send Kashmir’s cherries from Amritsar to markets in Delhi and Mumbai lest this year’s crop spoil. (Waseem Andrabi / HT Photo)

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