Srinagar: Strawberry Farmers Suffer Due To Drop In Tourists Post Pahalgam Attack

Manzoor Ahmed Dar is carefully packing the strawberries produced on his farm. But unlike previous years, this year he is unsure whether he will be able to sell his entire crop in the market. Dar, along with many other strawberry farmers in Gasoo village near Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, is grappling with a season marked by uncertainty and loss. Since strawberries have a short shelf-life, farmers are largely dependent on tourists to buy their produce. But the drastic drop in tourist footfall following the Pahalgam terror attack and escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, has led to them struggling to find a good market for their strawberry produce.