Once dependent on apples, farmers in Repora village of central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district have found a more profitable alternative in grape cultivation, earning handsome returns from what has now become known as the “grapes village of Kashmir.
Eight years ago, Farooq Ahmad,a farmer from Repora, would cultivate apples on three kanals of land, earning just Rs 40,000 to Rs 60,000 annually.
In 2017, he decided to switch to grapes. “Since 2018, I have been earning over Rs 3 lakh annually from grape cultivation. Apples are grown across Kashmir, which creates huge competition.Grapes, on the other hand, fetch better prices because only a limited number of farmers are associated with the crop,” he told news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS).
Like Farooq, hundreds of farmersin Repora have shifted from apples and other fruits to grapes in recent years, lured by higher profits and lower competition.
The results have been rewarding,as the village witnessed yet another bumper grape harvest this season. Grapes in Kashmir are generally ready for harvest from mid-August through early September.
Mohammad Abdullah, another farmer who owns more than 10 kanals of land, said nearly 80 percent of the 800 households in Repora are engaged in grape cultivation.
“Farmers from other villages of Ganderbal and even across Kashmir are also switching to grapes because it is a more profitable crop than apples or other fruits,” he said.
Repora’s association with grapes, however, is not new. The small, picturesque hamlet has been cultivating grapes for centuries. The fruit’s sweetness even finds mention in the poetry of Kashmir’s revered saint Sheikh Nooruddin Wali.
Villagers believe the distinct taste of Repora’s grapes is due to the blessings of another Sufi saint, MirSyed Shah Sadiq Qalandar, who lived in the area centuries ago.
According to official figures from the Horticulture Department, grapes are cultivated on over 400 hectares of land in Kashmir, yielding nearly 1,600 metric tonnes annually.
Repora stands out for producing top-quality varieties such as Sahiba, Hussaini, andAnabeshai, which are sold across valley markets.Despite the growing demand,local production is still not sufficient to meet Kashmir’s consumption needs.
“The grapes grown here are first sold in Mandis and then supplied to various parts of the valley. But to meet the overall demand, traders also import grapes from other states,” said another farmer. (KINS) Arjunmad Shah
