Ishtiyaq Ahmad
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Oct 2: It was nearly after a decade that someone from Bashir Ahmad Bhat's family in Pampore is getting married.
His lone son-Shabir Ahmad Bhat-is scheduled to get married on October 7. Bhat's had decided to make it a memorable event by cooking all the feasts of Wazwaan and invite guests in hundreds.
The prevailing situation, however, had compelled them to get the wedding done with austerity.
"We had decided to cook eight-quintals of meet on his wedding. We have cancelled all the invitations and decided to hold the Nikkah ceremony with simplicity," he said.
Earlier his daughter got married in 2009.
Bhat, said nobody would like to cook Wazwaan on weddings in Kashmir under present circumstances.
"How can my relatives and friends come when there are strict restrictions in place? How can we cook the Wazwaan when many people don't find the essentials," he added, who is a businessman by profession.
Similarly, people deal with marriage things are also suffering huge losses.
A walnut trader Farooq Ahmad Bhat procured fruit in bulk this year to cash in on the festive season and earn some extra bucks to offset some business losses of last year.
Sensing huge demand this season, Bhat was waiting for opportune time to export fruit to different states.
"This season traders haven't placed many orders. I would now directly transport walnut kernel to Goa, Kolkata and Maharashtra. I am afraid that before our fruit could reach these markets, walnut from other countries might have occupied the shelves," he said.
Like apples, the walnut industry of Kashmir too is in distress. Despite huge demand this festive season, the fruit hasn't reached potential markets.
Growers claim that the communication clampdown has delayed export of Kashmiri walnuts and with the result imports from US and Chile have flooded domestic markets.
Kashmir produces 2.66 lakh metric tonnes of walnuts, which is over 90 per cent of the total production of the country. More than 89000 hectares of land is under the walnut cultivation in the valley.
Traders said imports have dealt a death blow to the walnut industry of Kashmir with prices falling sharply across the country. "Prices are too low comparing to kernels imported from other countries. Last month domestic walnut kernelswere selling at Rs 700 to 750 per kilogram. Walnuts from US and Chile were selling at Rs 900 per kilogram," said Sameer Ahmad, a dry fruit dealer from Srinagar. |
