The harvest of pears in Kashmir will start next month, but growers aren’t hopeful of a bountiful pear yield. The erratic weather this year has spoiled the prospects of a good yield this season. The growers fear that this year their pear crop could face another lean year, leading to a drop in business.
After apples and walnuts, pears are grown over thousands of hectares of land in Kashmir, especially in Baramulla and Budgam districts due to its moderate temperature. As per statistics revealed by the Horticulture Department, pears are grown over more than 14,161 hectares of land in Kashmir and production is more than 85,565 tons. However, fulfilment of this production target depends on the harvest and weather patterns.
It was a dry season in February and March. Then, there were continuous rains and low temperatures, followed by spells of hailstorm and rain storms effected the flowering and initial crop.
A grower from north Kashmir’s Uri said that pear crop isn’t good this year. “It isn’t even the half what we had last year. The weather wasn’t favorable in the initial months and some pockets where pears are grown received back-to-back hailstorms,” he said, adding that orchards have very less pear yield this season. “Now our hope is on good market,” he added. In Kashmir, more than half a dozen varieties of pears are grown and some varieties fetch around ₹ 1,500 to ₹2,000 per box.
[ ₹ 100 = €1.10 ]
Source: hindustantimes.com
