Sweetening effect
A small village in Ganderbal district has been making headlines due to the efforts of the local population which has successfully transformed the village into a best quality grapefruit growing region.
The grapefruit that is being grown here is being seen by experts to even exceed international standards. Though the success that has been experienced here has not come overnight but it has taken years of toil and hard work on the part of the growers to earn a name for the village and the community.
Repora village which produces more than 2000 metric tons of grapefruit offers the best environment and rich rocky soil which makes it fit for the plantation of grapes. The people of the region mainly earn their livelihood from grape farming and this has earned the area a sobriquet of the ‘grapes village of the valley’.
While the international standard of the best quality of grapes is to have a berry size of 4-5 grams, Repora grapes usually have a size of about 12-14 gms — exceeding international standards.
One great advantage of the grape fruit cultivated in Repora is that these get ready when fresh grapes are not available anywhere in the world except in Italy. This gives the growers a huge advantage as the market seems quite ready for the fruit and there are immense growth prospects for the business to grown and multiply during the next few years.
Notably, the area under grape cultivation is more than 500 hectares while the total production expected is over 2200 metric tons this year. The past few years have also contributed immensely for the growth of the grapefruit cultivation as the day time temperature seems to be recording an upswing in Kashmir valley which helps the fruit to ripen well on time.
The experiment that was started years ago has been yielding good dividends and as such gives rise to the need that other areas of the valley too can be brought under grapefruit cultivation so that the demand shown globally for the fruit is exploited.
The horticulture department too needs to pitch in and explore possibilities to cover more and more land under grapefruit cultivation so that more youth find ample avenues for employment and new entrepreneurs are created.
Besides, a well drafted marketing strategy also needs to be worked out so that the fruit reaches its destination well on time and the quality of the fruit is also not compromised.
KV News
