By: Tariq Shah VOV

Srinagar

Chestnuts have arrived in the Srinagar markets with vendors both locals and Biharis selling them at very high prices. The arrival of chestnut is the signal of mid autumn in Kashmir valley as the students used to buy them while coming from tuition centers before pandemic in the previous year.

This year, a lot of people bought chestnuts from these vendors but told this reporter that the cost is very high. “I bought 100gm for Rs 100 and it means they are selling it at Rs 1000/KG in a roasted form” said Shabir Ahmad near Polo View.

The vendors said that they are getting the chestnuts at a very high price and for roasting these nuts they need kerosene stoves and a lot of hard work.

“I do not fetch us more than 500-700 a day and it seems to people that we are selling it at a high price while as the fact remains that it is the wholesale market of chestnuts which is making money” said Muhammad Yousuf who is a traditional seller of roasted chestnuts on the busy street of Srinagar.

Chestnuts were grown in Harwan area in abundance but now most of such trees have been cut and the horticulture department has also given the portion of chestnut garden at Harwan to the power development department for making the power grid. During the construction dozens of chestnut trees were cut and similar is the story at many places in Harwan area as the people have constructed houses at such places.