Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], June 28 : With favourable weather conditions, farmers in Srinagar are witnessing a fruitful apricot harvest season, with a promising yield of the prized fruit.
The introduction of new varieties, including Irani, Afghani, and Harcot apricots, has boosted demand and led to an increase in the number of consumers, giving farmers high hopes for strong returns this season.
In addition to apricots, farmers are also expecting a good harvest of several other fruits, such as cherries, strawberries, mulberries, plums, apples, and pears, in Srinagar's Zakura Valley.
"The weather plays a very important role in the harvesting of the crop, and this year we have been very lucky. There are a lot of varieties in this fruit, and with that, the number of consumers has also increased," said Mohammad Altaf, a local farmer, while speaking to ANI.
"We are experiencing a very good yield this year... Besides apricots, we've had a great crop of strawberries as well. These fruits are now being consumed across India," another farmer said.
Earlier, on June 23, rainfall in Jammu and Kashmir's Chanthal village brought renewed hope to farmers growing paddy crops.
Local farmer Ganesh Sharma expressed his joy, saying the rain would benefit them. "The rain is fine, and now we are planting paddy. We grow a lot of paddy and vegetables, and the rain that we have received has also benefited us... We used the canal water as well as the rainwater."
Meanwhile, locals of Sangyal village in Udhampur district have been using horses to fetch water from faraway places due to water scarcity in the village. Officials stated that work on a water supply scheme is being delayed due to a lack of funds and local disputes; however, efforts are being made to resolve the issues and complete the project.
Speaking to ANI, the Executive Engineer of the Udhampur division said, "We had a scheme, the Darsoo Gudhar Water Supply Scheme, which was incomplete. The work is going on, but a few contractors have stopped working due to a lack of funds. The concerned area has two sources of water...The work is still lingering due to several disputes there. We are sorting out the issues...The connection pipe is there, as soon as we sort out the dispute...and contractors start working, we will complete the work..."