Farmers in Sardasht face severe economic hardships as they struggle to market their world-renowned black grapes due to the absence of cold storage facilities and wholesale markets. Local orchard owners report being forced to sell their high-quality produce at drastically reduced prices to intermediaries who profit significantly from reselling the fruit. Idris Qaderian, a fruit vendor, explained that buyers set low prices at orchards and then sell the grapes for higher profits in other cities.
Hawdi Hamzayi, an orchard owner, stated that farmers must sell their harvests at half their actual value because perishable fruit cannot be preserved without proper storage infrastructure. Yaser Karimi noted that middlemen purchase grapes at a low price from farmers but resell them at extremely high prices, making the produce unaffordable even for local residents who grow it. Many farmers are considering abandoning their orchards because government agencies have provided no assistance for exporting products or establishing sustainable marketing systems.
Hawdi Hamzayi, an orchard owner, stated that farmers must sell their harvests at half their actual value because perishable fruit cannot be preserved without proper storage infrastructure. Yaser Karimi noted that middlemen purchase grapes at a low price from farmers but resell them at extremely high prices, making the produce unaffordable even for local residents who grow it. Many farmers are considering abandoning their orchards because government agencies have provided no assistance for exporting products or establishing sustainable marketing systems.
