Ganderbal: Repora area of central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district is known for the cultivation of delicious grapes and the grapes are of high quality. Farmers in Repora are nowadays busy in cultivation of grapes.
A farmer from the Repora said that this year due to rain, the harvesting of the fruit was delayed.
According to reports, 1100-1500 metric tons of grapes are produced annually in Kashmir, of which 700-800 metric tons are grown in Repora of Ganderbal district.
About 90 percent of the population in the area are associated with the grape cultivation. Approximately 60 hectares of land in the Repora village is under grape cultivation, which helps hundreds of people to earn their living. The grape harvesting season in Repora starts from July and continues till mid-september.
Local people said that grape production started in the arwa area from the time of Maharaja Hari singh. The Maharaja used to grow grapes on his land at Repora, which is now owned by Horticulture department.
The international standard of the best quality of grapes is to have berry size of 4-5 grams. Repora grapes have a size of about 14-15 gms exceeding international standards.
Villagers attribute the growth of grapes in the area to the blessings of a saint, Mir syed shah Sadiq Qalandar, who they believed lived in the area.
The farmers said that government should provide latest information, techniques and awareness to help them. They said our livelihood depends on this sector and the concerned department should mainly focus on improving this crop and developing more varieties that will improve our economic conditions.
In addition to cold storage facilities, the use of modern technology can increase our production manifold and lead to good employment generation in the future.
An official from Horticulture department said that grapes are perishable crops and need to be handled carefully. He said that the department has advised the farmers to start planning for crop diversification which will help them to increase their income. He said, “The Horticulture department is planning to provide storage and other facilities to the farmers so that their crops are available for long period of time.
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