Amid less production of cherry in various parts of Kashmir valley this year due to weather vagaries, Black diamond or Italy Cherry is in great demand.
The Black diamond from village Konsoo in south Kashmir’s Shopian district is making a good profit.
“Black diamond Cherry has fetched a bumper crop this year and is in good demand across the country” Suhail Shabir, a farmer of Kansoo village told UNI.
Village Kansoo which is 8 km from the main town of Shopian, the farmers are busy harvesting the trending Cherry crop, making 1 kg boxes to transport them to Delhi, Mumbai, and other parts of the country.
Shabir said the weather conditions in the district remained favourable for the crop that increased production this year compared to the past.
The farmers of village Kansoo also harvested other varieties of the Cherry crop including Mishri, Double Mishri, and Jadi. However, the harvesting of Black diamonds has become the talk of the town for its shape, size, color, taste, and demand.
Suhail said one kilo of Black Diamond costs Rs 250 to Rs 300 at the orchard which is an excellent rate for the farmers.
“If a farmer harvested 2000 boxes last year, the production increased by 500 boxes this year in Shopian district”, he said.
He said the Black Diamond cherry survives in extreme weather conditions compared to the other varieties.
“We are going to plant more Black diamond cherry trees shortly to increase the income”, he added.
Hakeem Sanobar Khan, a farmer from Gutlibagh in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal, however, said that due to unseasonal rains and hailstorms the cherry crop suffered damage by 70 percent in the district this year.
He said the farmers in Ganderbal have not yet adopted the hybrid variety of the cherry.
Khan urged the government to introduce the crop insurance scheme for the farmers in Kashmir Valley.
Meanwhile, Director Horticulture Zahoor Ahmed Bhat told UNI that there was about 22,000 metric tons production of the cherry in the Kashmir valley this year.
“This is 200 metric tons more than the previous year,” he said
The Director, however, said that in some areas unseasonal rains and hailstorms damaged the crop. However, he said this year the cherry crop was altogether satisfactory.
Bhat said that the Jammu and Kashmir government is introducing crop insurance and preparations are going on and likely to be implemented from this year.
The Director of Horticulture said that this year some varieties of the cherry are in good demand across the country.
