Spl feature story;Inspiring Journey of elderly fruit Grower Haji Mohd Shafi from Rs 10,000 to Rs 25 Lacs/Year in JK's Bhaderwah  Shafi demands Cold storage and fruit mandi in the area  Slug-2807ZS_BHD_PEARS_STORY_R By Raja Rehber Jamal  Location-Bhadarwah  VO: The villages of Bharova, Khalo, Chatra and Shanatra in Additional District Bhaderwah have made significant strides in horticulture, especially in the cultivation of exotic Italian Pears, achieving an annual production of around 1.5 metric tons, thereby overcoming their former struggles with poverty and drought. The villagers demanded Cold Storage and mandi (Fruit and vegetables Market) in the area.     In the hilly Chenab region, most farmers prioritize staple crops like Maize, Paddy and fodder over fruit cultivation; however, in this area, horticulture is considered a valuable and viable farming activity, contributing significantly to the local economy.   The seeds of positive growth were sown when 77 years old Haji Mohd Shafi Sheikh of village Bharova in Bhaderwah, decided to switch from growing maize to horticulture in his 5 acres of drought prone rain fed land located on steep hilly slope.   Haji Mohd Shafi Sheikh said that traditionally i used to grow maize and green fodder in my land, which is drought prone and completely rain fed area and the yield never exceeded beyond Rs 10,000 to 15,000 a year.     Sheikh's family owned a 5-acre plot of land located on slope of a hill surrounded with thick coniferous forest, but its produce was hardly enough to sustain the family for six months. Until his elder son Atta Mohd's insistence, Sheikh decided to halt the traditional practice of growing maize and adopted horticulture with the hope to earn extra money, despite facing criticism from fellow villagers and relatives.    Haji Mohd Shafi said that after switching to horticulture in the year 2000, facing some extra hardships for initial 4 years, my endeavour starting gradually reaping in rich benefits and today my income from a meager Rs 10,000 a year has swollen to more than Rs 25 lakhs annually. He added that he has employed 20 fellow villagers in his orchards,where he grows exotic Italian Pears.     While recognizing his dedication and success, LG Manoj Sinha also appreciated his work during radio programme 'Awaam ki Awaaz'.   Haji Mohd Shafi Sheikh by opting innovative cultivation of Italian Pears made it a successful venture in Bhaderwah by growing more than 250 trees thereby inspiring other farmers as well. He has also grown more than 1200 trees of other fruits including Green Pear, Apple, Walnut and others in his fields.    He further said that during a routine visit of a team of scientists of Krishi Vigyan Kendar, seeing my dedication and the urge to grow my orchard scientifically, One of the scientist - Dr Vikas Tandon gave me a few plants of Italian pears and that became a big turning point of my journey.      Not only for himself, Shafi also become a ray of hope for the unemployed youths of his area as they are working with him since last couple of years and are earning their livelihood.   Getting inspiration from the elderly Fruit Grower, today more than 175 families from Bharova, Khalo, Chatra and Shanatra villages have switched over to growing fruits especially Italian Pears thereby becoming leading producer of exotic fruit in the region.    The exotic dark red colour fruit which is extremely popular among the high end customers has also given a new identity to Bhaderwah Valley and has also become an added attraction for the visitors.     He demanded a cold storage and Fruit mandi in the area so that marginal farmers with 10-20 trees can sell their products easily.     The locals working in his fields have also praised Mohd Shafi for the initiative, which have taken them on new track of success by opting horticulture as their primary farming.   Italian Pears also sometimes called Red d'Anjou pears, were introduced to the market in the 1950's after being discovered as a sport on a Green Anjou pear tree. Red Anjou pears taste similar to the green variety, but they offer a stunning, deep red color that adds a distinctive look to any dish that calls for Pears.    Pears — particularly red varieties — may help decrease diabetes risk. One large study in over 200,000 people found that eating 5 or more weekly servings of anthocyanin-rich fruits like red pears was associated with a 23% lower risk of type 2 diabetes.  Feed  Shots  Bytes.  1. Haji Mohd Shafi Sheikh, Orchard owner.  2. Worker.  3. Worker.  5. Worker.  6. Walk-through Raja Rehber Jamal.  Regards Raja Rehber Jamal Chenab Valley E-mail :- rehberjamal12@gmail.com, rehberjamal12@rediffmail.com Mob:- 8803163150, 7006027038 , 7051440613