World Environment Day 2023 | Strawberry farmers in Kashmir face losses as climate change eats into produce

Unseasonal and frequent rainfall can make the berries heavier and cause them to fall to the ground. (Photo by Irfan Amin Malik)

The incessant rains, wind storms and prolonged cold weather in Kashmir have badly hit the strawberry crop, with farmers incurring losses this year. For the better part of the last two months, Kashmir has been under the grip of lower than usual temperatures and regular wet spells due to which the harvest season of strawberries has been badly hit.

Faizan Arif, an independent weather forecaster, said that Jammu and Kashmir has recorded excess rainfall of 24 percent in May. “Against the normal precipitation of 77.5 mm, the Union Territory has recorded 96.3 mm rainfall during the previous month due to which farming activity has got badly disturbed.”

Fallen and rotting strawberries at a farm in Gasoo, Kashmir's Strawberry bowl. (Photo by Irfan Amin Malik)

Kashmiri strawberry farmers that Moneycontrol spoke with said that this year’s frequent rains have damaged 30-40 percent of their crop. Strawberries are among the first fruits that grow in Kashmir after the six months of harsh winters in the region.

“This year due to frequent rains the harvesting started late. The crop (was) ruined due to extra moisture caused by rains and the market was also significantly down. The shelf life of strawberry crop is only a day or two but due to wet weather, people could not buy it from the markets due to which the fruit went bad and farmers incurred huge losses,” said Manzoor Ahmad Dar, 29, a farmer in Gasoo village of Hazratbal locality on the outskirts of Srinagar.

Strawberry bowl of Kashmir

Gasoo is known as the “strawberry bowl” of Kashmir for having the highest number of people growing this fruit. During the brief harvest period, it produces 2,000 kilograms of strawberries per day. In recent years, strawberry has emerged as a cash crop in the valley with many farmers switching to its cultivation.

The strawberries grown in Kashmir are considered rich in sugar content with significant medicinal value, compared to strawberries grown in the Himalayas and northern regions of India.

Kashmir produces 350-375 metric tonnes of strawberry every year, with Srinagar being the major producer with 312 metric tonnes followed by Baramulla with 36 metric tonnes and Bandipora with 4-5 metric tonnes.

Gasoo normally produces 2,000 kilograms of strawberries per day during the brief harvest period. (Photo by Irfan Amin Malik)

According to Manzoor Dar, more than 90 percent people in Gasoo, 4 kilometres from University of Kashmir, are involved in strawberry farming. “Earlier, paddy farming was our main occupation but now strawberries are a source of our livelihood. Only a decade ago, we converted our paddy fields into strawberry farms but little did we know that weather will play spoilsport,” Manzoor Dar said.

Shabir Ahmad Dar, another farmer, told Moneycontrol that due to extreme weather events in the region, farmers are clueless about the future of strawberry farming. “Strawberry crop requires routine showers but torrential rains throughout the month of April and May have spoiled the crop and reduced the production to a great extent.”

Manzoor Dar claimed that due to losses, the farmers are losing interest in strawberry farming. “Our crop is delicate and it has a low shelf life due to which we have been sustaining losses. For example, the strawberry farmers suffered huge losses during the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020 and 2021. Much of the fruit was destroyed by the sudden increase in temperature last year and now this year the rains have badly hit the crop.”

The regular losses as per Dar have compelled farmers to look for alternatives. “Due to losses the village has lost 20 kanals (1 kanal is 0.125 acres) of strawberry land. The people are now creating apple orchards to get more profits and some have even converted the fertile land for construction purposes.”

Heavy rains made it difficult for farmers to retail the berries outside the mandis too. (Photo by Irfan Amin Malik)

Colder summer months, frequent rains

The farmers said that the heavy rains increase the load on the delicate crop and it falls to the ground leading to extensive damage. “The inclement weather followed by windstorms mainly during the peak harvesting season has caused nearly 30-35 percent losses. On an average my 1 kanal strawberry farm would produce 800 to 900 kilograms of strawberries, but this year the untimely and frequent rains have reduced the production to just 600 kilograms,” said 38-year-old Shabir Dar of Gasoo.

Though strawberries are also grown in some parts of north and south Kashmir, the fruit in Gasoo is considered bigger in size, more juicy and good in taste. The farmers claimed fertilisers and pesticides are rarely used to grow strawberries in Gasoo.

Bilal Ahmad Thoker, a 33-year-old farmer, said that intense heat or heavy downpours can impact both the size and quality of strawberries. For example, Thoker said, during the previous year, the weather remained slightly warm due to which the size of the crop reduced and this year the crop quality depleted due to erratic weather.

While most of the strawberries directly reach fruit mandis, the remaining crop is used by bakery and ice cream makers. However, Shabir Dar said that due to rains and cold weather, he couldn't sell a single strawberry pack to bakery and ice cream makers this year. “During the wet and cold weather when people do not eat strawberries, how can they have ice creams,” he said.

Gasoo's strawberries are said to be bigger and juicier than other Himalayan varieties. (Photo by Irfan Amin Malik)

Dr Amit Kumar, associate professor division of fruit science, SKUAST, Kashmir, told Moneycontrol that farmers are recommended to avoid harvesting during inclement weather because the wet fruit has more chance to get damaged. “The strawberry is a sensitive crop and if it gets slightly damaged, the market value falls tremendously. But if farmers do mulching, climate change will not impact the strawberry crop,” said Kumar who works on strawberries.

During the month of March, which marks the end of winters in J&K, people in the region experienced warmer days, but both April and May have seen inclement weather with the mercury showing downward trends.

These farmers are asking the government to set up storage facilities so the crop can be sold when the weather becomes feasible. “We have been demanding refrigerated vehicles so that the strawberries, which are perishable, can reach markets more quickly. It will also help us fetch higher prices and more employment from this crop,” said Thoker.

Bashir Ahmad Bashir, president of Fruit and Vegetable Association Kashmir, told Moneycontrol that this year only 30-40 percent strawberries reached Mandis. “The rains have wreaked havoc on all the crops, including strawberries. The rains also did not allow vendors to set up the stalls and sell the fruit on the streets.”

Bashir said that a large box containing eight smaller boxes of strawberries usually sold for anywhere between Rs 250 to Rs 400 in the mandi, depending on the size and quality, but the rates have gone down to Rs 150 to Rs 300 these days.