In the Kashmir Valley, particularly in Gasso, known as the strawberry village, families are engaged in harvesting the season's first strawberries. This activity marks the commencement of the strawberry season in the region. However, the production has been adversely affected by climate change and erratic weather patterns, including untimely rainfall, leading to reduced yields. Strawberry cultivation, a relatively new addition to Kashmir's agricultural practices, benefits from the valley's suitable climate, offering employment opportunities to locals. Despite annual production reaching tonnes, this year's weather conditions have impacted the harvest.
Farmers have expressed a critical need for cold storage facilities to extend the strawberries' shelf life, which is inherently short. The lack of such facilities necessitates immediate transport of the harvested strawberries to markets, limiting the potential for selling beyond the Union Territory. Comparatively, apple growers in south Kashmir have received increased support in terms of cold storage, a provision that strawberry farmers in Srinagar find lacking. The absence of cold storage not only reduces the fruit's shelf life to a week but also risks spoilage within a day under normal temperatures. The establishment of cold storage for strawberries is urged to mitigate losses and sustain the cultivation efforts in the region.
Source: zeebiz.com