Production - Daily Headlines Today

Almond Production Dips Due To Unfavorable Weather In Kashmir

HT Online Editor — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 18:23:48 +0530

SRINAGAR: Like apples, the almond crop also witnessed a drop in production this year due to the unfavourable weather conditions in the Kashmir valley.

These days, farmers are busy in their orchards harvesting almonds in Chadoora-Nagam on Char-e-Sharief Road in central Kashmir’s Budgam district, claiming that the plucking of almonds this year got delayed by a month due to weather vagaries.

"Almond production is reduced by 30 percent this year compared to last year. However, the production is satisfactory if compared to the past several years", Ishfaq Yatoo, an orchardist in Charer-e-Sharief, told UNI.

He said that the production is less compared to last year. From 2014 to 2019, the production of almonds remained low due to weather vagaries and uncertain circumstances, and farmers could not concentrate much on their orchards, resulting in the production remaining very low.

"This year the production is satisfactory, and farmers are taking care of their orchards with the improvement in atmosphere that helps to get good production of the crop," Yatoo said.

He said that this year, due to unfavourable weather conditions, the almond harvesting season got prolonged in the valley. The harvesting usually completes in the month of August, but we are still in the orchards collecting the crop in the September months, he added.

Yatoo said that they are selling almonds after removing the green hull by machines and by hand to the buyers here, who then export them later to other parts of the country and abroad.

He said that California almonds did not have any major effect on Kashmiri almonds so far as Kashmir’s almonds have their own taste and demand in the market. The Kashmiri almonds are in demand and are sold at good rates, he added.

Yatoo said a kg of paper almond, locally known as Kagzi," was being sold to the buyer at Rs 255 and a second variety at Rs 150 per kg at the garden.

He said that farmers are not planting new almond trees, and they are day by day facing extinction.

"The government is not even providing any help or technology to expand the almond tree gardens in the valley", he alleged, adding that "what has remained in the valley so far is only producing the crop; no fresh trees are being planted to expand the almond business".

He said the farmers even sprinkle necessary pesticides at their own risk, and there is no known way of getting them from the government to save this crop.

Mostly people prefer to plant hybrid apple trees that are providing high crops and getting good prices in the market, he said.

An official of the Horticulture Department who did not want to be identified said that the farmers who are associated with the almond business are not being provided with any information about why this crop is facing extinction day by day in the valley.

He said that the government is providing subsidies to apple orchardists and providing all the know-how besides introducing hybrid apple trees that are yielding high production, and farmers are now planting apple trees instead of almonds. (UNI)

Tomato Production Yielding Huge Income To Kashmiri Farmers

HT Online Editor — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 19:43:24 +0530

SRINAGAR: Vegetable growers in the Kashmir valley are wrapping up huge incomes from tomato production despite weather vagaries and less production in other parts of the country due to floods.

This year, hybrid Tomato production in the Kashmir Valley saw a bumper crop despite weather vagaries, and with unprecedented demand, it is fetching the highest price for the first time in the history of growers.

"The average rate of Tomato per kg at the field this year remained Rs 80, which we used to sell for only Rs 2 during this period of the season", Bashir Ahmad, a vegetable grower in the Malroo Shalteang area of Srinagar, told UNI.

Tomato prices reached sky-high levels throughout the country, including in Srinagar and other markets in the Kashmir Valley. The rate per kg of Tomato being sold in the market goes up to Rs 150 to Rs 170, which is the highest in the history of Kashmir so far.

Bashir said that he not only sells them locally but also exports them to other parts of the country, including Jammu, Delhi, Kargil, and Ladakh, at good prices. He said a Kashmiri hybrid tomato is being sold to Delhi dealers at Rs 80 per kg presently, and we are sending a good quantity of the production there.

He said that since the hybrid variety came into existence, the production of tomatoes has increased manifold. "We are not only able to sell these in the local market but export them to other states as well," he said.

He said that in today's era, farming is done with the help of modern technology, which is increasing production and reducing labour.

He said that vegetable cultivation is a very profitable business, and if one even has a small plot of land, one should adopt the cultivation of vegetables.

"There is ample scope for employment in the agriculture sector, and good income can be earned by growing different types of vegetables on agricultural land", Bashir said. He said that all the families in our area are involved in growing vegetables and earning handsomely.

He said that from July to October, 5 to 6 truckloads with different types of vegetables from our area leave for the markets every day.

He said that last year, the agricultural department sent various kinds of vegetables from Kashmir to Dubai for marketing. He had sent radishes, turnips, and the famous Kashmir Haakh (green leaves), which were liked by the buyers there.

Bashir said this year they have also proposed to send different varieties of vegetables to Dubai to explore the Kashmiri crop that would be beneficial to the growers here.

He was highly thankful for the department of agriculture, which often provides them with all sorts of help in the way of the modern technology available to them for increasing the production of various vegetables.

Bashir said after completing the cultivation of the tomato crop, we are going to sew Haak, radish, turnip, and spinach, which a farmer can sell until the next February in the markets.

He advised the people who have vacant land to utilise that in vegetable production, which would not only fetch them bread and butter but also allow them to provide jobs to others. (UNI)

Strawberry Production Suffers 30 Percent Loss Due to Rains: Kashmir Growers

HT Online Editor — Mon, 15 May 2023 20:14:44 +0530

SRINAGAR: The Strawberry production in Kashmir valley has suffered 30 percent loss this year due to continuous rains this year, says growers.

The harvesting of the famous Kashmiri strawberry crop in village Gaasu Khimber in the outskirts of Srinagar is in full swing with growers plucking the fruit and simultaneously dispatching to the markets.

However, the fruit has suffered 30 percent loss in production this year compared to the last year due to the continuous rainy season in the month of April and May has deepened their worries, claims a grower Manzoor Ahmad.

He said that the production could have been bumper this year, but intermittent rains during the harvesting period caused damage to the crop to a great extent.

Growers including men women and children with baskets filled with the freshly harvested strawberries, one of the first horticulture crops of the season in Kashmir, were seen moving in the fields of Gaasu harvesting the fruit.

Gaasu Khimber is the home land of about one thousand farmers who are associated with the Strawberry trade. There are apple orchards as well Is the next source of their livelihood for them.

“The production this year is satisfactory despite weather vagaries but it could have been a bumper crop for the growers if continued rains could not have happened during the peak season” Manzoor said.

He said, since the Strawberry crop needs slight daily evening showers manually or naturally, but this time it was almost daily and most heavy showers throughout the month of April and May dampens the production.

Manzoor said “we usually pour the water in the fields to save the crop from the hot weather conditions but this year continuous rain fall withered the crop.

Strawberry farming was introduced in the valley due to its favorable climate conditions and Gaasu Khimber areas are being considered to be the most appropriate for the crop.

The harvesting of strawberries is also being done in Tangmarg in north Kashmir and some parts of South but the fruit at Gaasu Khimber areas in Srinagar is considered bigger in size, much juicy and good in taste according to the growers.

Gaasu village alone produces almost one thousand trays equal to 2000kg per day, Manzoor said and added that an eight tray bowl of 2 kg Strawberry costs for Rs 220 at the field.

“We are mostly sending the fruit directly to Mandi and some customers are also taking from us directly”, he said.

Ice Cream factory, Bakery shop owners and Juice factory people mostly purchase the fruit from us, Manzoor said.

He appealed to the Government of Jammu and Kashmir to announce a scheme in favour of the Strawberry growers so that this crop could be developed and production increase in a big way in the future. (UNI)

Govt. Endeavors to Boost Silk Production

HT Online Editor — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 20:06:15 +0530

The Jammu and Kashmir government is working under a multi-pronged strategy towards the revival and holistic development of the Sericulture sector in the Union Territory.

“Cocoon growers are being facilitated with requisite skill development training, latest technological interventions and related infrastructural support for transforming the sericulture industry in J&K”, maintained an official while elaborating on initiatives of the government in this regard.

The futuristic roadmap for holistic growth of agriculture and allied sectors will help in ensuring product quality and quantity besides raising global demand, added the official. He said that the J&K government was working on area expansion under mulberry plantations to increase leaf availability for rearers and enrich green wealth.

The Forest and Sericulture Departments are jointly working towards achieving J&K’s Green Mission besides creating and ensuring marketing support to the cocoon growers in selling their produce in their vicinity.

Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, maintained during a function that “Our prime objective is to make better the lives of farmers associated with this dream fabric besides ensuring uniqueness, beauty and ingenuity of J&K’s crafts dominate the global market,”.

The futuristic roadmap for holistic growth of agriculture and the allied sector will safeguard the age-old skills being transferred from generation to generation. The effort is aimed at helping preserve and promotion of the unique and indigenous craft legacy of J&K across the globe.

The government is giving importance to the adoption of the latest technological advancements in the silk industry to reduce dependence on imported silk. One of the three important centers in the country for Research and Development, Training, Transfer of Technology, and IT Intervention has been set up at Kashmir’s Pampore.

Recently, the Department of Sericulture, Rajouri, Mulberry Circle Lamberi organized Kissan Ghosti/Scientific interaction under the ATMA programme. The main objective of the programme was to educate silkworm rearers about the latest technology and practice for silkworm rearing.

The farmers were briefed about various projects being implemented under Holistic Agriculture Development Programme. In a significant accomplishment, Kundan Lal, a progressive farmer of Lamberi Rajouri, earned Rs 91666.50 in 20 to 25 days by selling an 87.6kg dry crop. Similarly, Tilak Raj of Lamberi Village of Rajouri earned Rs 132356 in 20 to 25 days by selling 131.350 kg of silk.

To cater to the research, training, and extension needs of Jammu & Kashmir, the Central Silk Board (CSB) set up the Central Sericulture Research and Training Institute (CSR & TI) at Pampore, Srinagar, in 1994 to revive earlier activities of the CSB in J&K. The institute is actively involved in Research and Development besides human resource development through its network of 2 Regional Sericulture Research Stations (RSRS) and 8 Research Extension Centers.

The High Yielding Silkworm hybrids and improved mulberry varieties have been developed by CSR and TI Pampore to increase the farmers’ income through Sericulture.

The Central Silk Board is promoting the bivoltine production program by extending technical support through 6 clusters (including 2 mega clusters) besides extending the state of the art of soil testing facilities. Due to the continuous efforts of the Institute and technological interventions, the average yield of bivoltine cocoons has been enhanced significantly.

Notably, the Silk Samagra Yojana launched in 2017-18 under the guidance of PM has proved to be a game changer in making sericulture sustainable by supporting the country’s as well as J&K’s silk industry in an integrated manner.Under Silk Samagra Phase-I, about 900 silkworm rearers have been benefited directly besides the establishment of about 618 rearing houses. Besides, the Central Silk Board has allocated Rs 35 crore for J&K under Silk Samagra Phase-II benefitting around 27,000 families involved in Sericulture in the UT. (KNB)