Photos: In Kashmir’s strawberry fields, farmers fear losses as sales dip

One of the first horticulture crops of the season in Kashmir – strawberries are ready for plucking. But due to the lockdown, which was put in place to curb the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), markets, retail shops and transport are shut in the valley and farmers are eyeing major losses this season. Strawberry farming was introduced in Kashmir not too long ago and given its favourable weather conditions, it has generated employment for locals in the valley.

Updated on: May 14, 2020 5:23 PM IST

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A farmer with a basket of freshly harvested strawberries from a farm in Gassu village on the outskirts of Srinagar. Strawberries, one of the first horticulture crops of the season in Kashmir are ready for plucking, but the sales have been low owing to the lockdown, thus leaving the farmers staring at significant losses this year. (Waseem Andrabi / HT Photo)

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A group of farmers harvest strawberries on a farm in Gassu village on the outskirts of Srinagar. (Waseem Andrabi / HT Photo)

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Farmers in Gassu village said that the harvest was similar to last year but the sales very low due to the lockdown restrictions. (Waseem Andrabi / HT Photo)

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Feroz Ahmad, a farmer who lives on the outskirts of Srinagar expects a major loss this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. “Last year I would get ₹ 350 for a tray weighing 2.5 kilograms, but this year it has already dropped to ₹ 200 – 250 for the same. The shops are closed so the demand is very less,” Ahmad told the photographer. (Waseem Andrabi / HT Photo)

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A farmer carries freshly harvested strawberries from the field to the sorting and packing area. Another farmer Ghulam Nabi Dar said that the situation is grim even though his harvest has increased this year to 370 trays as compared to 350 last year. “The buying capacity of people has gone down. People want to save as much money so that they can survive the lockdown. When there is no capacity to buy basic food, how will people buy fruits?” said Dar. (Waseem Andrabi / HT Photo)

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Freshly harvested strawberries are sorted and then packed in batches on a farm. “The customers are telling us that the market is down and the situation is bad. I am now taking my produce to the market myself in small quantities,” Dar told the photographer. (Waseem Andrabi / HT Photo)

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Strawberry farming was introduced in the valley due to its favourable climate conditions and it aids in employment generation for locals in Zakura, Gaasu and Khimber areas, which are situated on the outskirts of Srinagar. (Waseem Andrabi / HT Photo)