When I just moved to Srinagar about two months ago today, I was holding on to the idea of trying the famous Kashmiri apples, fabled for their taste across India. Yes, the apples lived up to my expectations of being delicious, but everything I saw on the cart of the fruitwala on Dal Gate, looked like it belonged on the cover of a health magazine. So vibrant, so alluring and so moderately priced. These are a commodity that needs to be protected from the perils of genetic modification, which is slowly becoming the norm in agricultural production.
Ive lived in the US for the last five years, and seeing the produce that is sold there in Walmarts or Weiss supermarkets, are alarmingly large in size, have no scent and have a greyish hue on grapes, oranges and all citrus based fruits. The strawberries were the size of my palm, and their lemons were bigger than your average doorknob. How can I put all this in my stomach? What sort of chemicals or substances can one use, just to show these fruits more aesthetically larger in size? I cant even begin to imagine the repercussions of eating these grossly large creations of human opulence. Im no expert in genetic modification, but I know a dangerous item to eat when I see one. Sadly, this trend is not limited to the US. Organized retailers and so-called new age harvesters, are using GMO to increase cultivation. This is outright dangerous, not just to our health, but also to the farmers who stick to traditional methods of agriculture. Cutting costs cannot come at putting the health of individuals.
I can only hope, that Kashmir doesnt fall victim to this global shift, and the purity of the states produce is maintained. So many locals here sustain their livelihood through agriculture and selling their fruits in Bazaars, I fear massive corporations establishing their presence here and making fruits seem large and vile, as a human body on steroids. Lets not let one of the states prized commodities, fall victim to the ostentatious presentation.
Jugal Bhinde
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