Kashmir is seeing signs of hope, progress and prosperity among our agricultural community as the apple season nears its peak; there are reports reaching out from across the valley about a phenomenal demand for our local fruit.
The cold storage has been reserved for its maximum this year; but instead of posing as a problem to the growers, it has been a harbinger of hope.
For long the Kashmiri growers have been at the receiving end of fate as their produce, despite its pristine quality, perished due to lack of proper storage facilities.
But this year, it seems that the tide is about to turn.
The very fact that the growers are reserving cold storage months before the peak season is enough to signify the change in the horizon.
Our growers are turning entrepreneurs, insomuch as they are now realizing the importance of strategic planning and are willing to take the necessary steps for long-term gains.
The phenomenal increase in the demand for Kashmiri apple is a pointer to the fact that this year’s produce has been in surplus both in terms of quantity and quality.
It means the growers are on their way to reaping long-term rewards. They realize the need for cold storage now, and the ones who have not reserved any slot in the storage facility this year would soon enough be investing in more storage spaces, which, in turn, would create employment opportunities.
This is also an indirect indication of the support coming from the government and private investors in this regard.
In the past five or six years, the cold storage facilities have augmented in number.
The demand for these spaces is a reflection of the confidence that the investors are reposing in the Kashmiri apple business, and the response is coming in leaps and bounds. There is no doubt that this will soon pose as a severe challenge to the growers, who missed out on the opportunity to grab a slot in the storage facility.
But, then again, it has been the demand that has prompted the entrepreneurs to invest in these storage houses.
The apple from Jammu and Kashmir has always been a pride for us, symbolizing our valley of flowers and fruits. Perhaps it is time to announce the dawn of a new era for the ‘Apple of our Valley’.
No more will our produce rot due to lack of proper storage facilities, and no more will the growers have to sell their produce at a loss because of such facilities.
The apple growers of our valley are not only turning entrepreneurs but also realizing the need for strategic planning. A fully occupied cold storage is, indeed, a harbinger of hope for them.
