Italian and Bulgarian cherry types are reshaping the horticultural industry in Kashmir by supplying farmers with viable options, which can provide a source of income, and enhance investments in their operations. Additionally, with the climate changing and resulting in unpredictable seasons, these varieties are a safety net for farmers by providing them with a source of revenue that is predictable and secure.
Traditional fruit types, such as cherries, have great flavour characteristics; however, they are also very susceptible to adverse weather conditions in the spring, such as rain, which can devastate crops and lower the overall value of the crop at market.
Indigenous cherry trees typically produce all of their cherries at once, which results in a large amount of fruit being sold on a short-term basis, and thus limiting the potential earnings from the sale of those cherries due to the limited time period they can be sold.
The introduction of Italian and Bulgarian imported cherry varieties to orchardists locally represent a major shift from the traditional ways through which fruit has been grown and sold in this region.
Farmers in key districts in the region of Shopian and Srinagar have reported that the Italian and Bulgarian cherry varieties are extremely durable. These varieties can survive medium-level rainfall events that would have destroyed the crops produced from the indigenous cherries otherwise.
Because of their increased durability, these varieties will have a higher number of cherries available for sale on the market, and as such will also be sold at higher prices.
The other benefit of these varietals is that they have a staggered ripening pattern; unlike indigenous cherries, which ripen all at once, they will ripen about every two to three weeks, resulting in continuous demand throughout the summer months and the creation of continuous profits for farmers.
The employment opportunity created through longer harvests will be a source of much-needed income to local residents as many will have jobs associated with growing cherries during the extended harvest season.
Imported varieties of cherries keep local communities working longer by keeping picking and packing activities going.
These new varieties show that the fruit industry in Kashmir can adapt to changing agricultural environments and be environmentally sustainable.
Orchardists are improving their own livelihoods by growing more new, weather-resistant varieties and they are also providing a more secure and prosperous future for the region’s fruit industry.
