Hard, crunchy and ruby red—Mishri, once the most sought-after variety of Kashmiri cherries, is now in decline.

Farmers say climate change and the rise of high-density varieties have pushed the traditional drupe out of favour. In recent years, Mishri production has dropped sharply, with many growers shifting to imported high-yielding, fast-fruiting alternatives.

Mohammad Ashraf Wani, President of Fruit Mandi Shopian and a cherry grower, said the variety’s production has plummeted up to 50 per cent. “It’s fast vanishing from orchards across the Valley,” he said.

Mishri is considered the sweetest of the cherries grown in Kashmir and boasts a longer shelf life than other traditional varieties such as Makhmali and Double. In 2021, it was exported to Dubai for the first time and was praised for its taste and crunch.

But the variety is struggling to withstand erratic weather and the influx of imported high-density cultivars, mostly from Italy.

“Cracks easily appear in the fruit during inclement weather,” said Izhan Javed, a well-known agri-entrepreneur, and CEO of Fruit Market Agro Fresh, who recently exported a two-ton shipment of cherries to Saudi Arabia.

“Mishri was the best in its time. But it’s now losing commercial viability, so farmers are replacing it,” he said.

Many farmers now prefer imported varieties such as Regina, Kordia, and Areko, which produce larger fruit and start bearing within two years.

“These trees are more profitable and enter the fruiting stage much earlier,” said Basharat Ali, a cherry grower.

This year’s erratic weather damaged at least 30 per cent of the Valley’s cherry crop, with Mishri taking the biggest hit.

“This is a late-harvested variety. It was still on trees when rains and hailstorms lashed the Valley,” said Ali.

Some cherry-producing villages in south Kashmir reported up to 100 per cent damage.

Kashmir accounts for 95 per cent of India’s total cherry production, yielding between 12,000 and 14,000 tonnes annually. But with traditional varieties like Mishri losing ground to faster-yielding imports and extreme weather events becoming more frequent, growers fear the prized cherry may soon disappear from the Valley’s orchards.

Published on June 27, 2025