Highway closure leaves Kashmir Apple industry to suffer loses worth Rs 1,500 Cr
Growers rue peak-season setback; urge government for rail, air cargo support
By: Our Special Correspondent
Srinagar: Despite the authorities allowing fruit-laden trucks to move towards Jammu on Wednesday, Kashmir’s famed apple industry has suffered crippling losses estimated at nearly Rs 1,500 crore owing to the 18-day closure of the Srinagar–Jammu National Highway.
President of the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers cum Dealers Union, Basheer Ahmed Bashir, said the disruption had paralysed the fruit economy at the peak of the harvesting season.
“The highway is our lifeline. Even though the move to introduce a parcel train service is welcome, it cannot match the 1,500 truckloads we usually send daily. Apples are a perishable commodity—when they don’t reach the market in time, they rot and our labour goes waste,” Bashir lamented.
Growers across the Valley voiced their frustration, saying the prolonged closure has left them helpless.
“We had invested everything this season—fertilisers, packaging, labour. Now, instead of profit, we are staring at huge debts,” said Ghulam Nabi, an orchardist from Shopian.
Another grower, Farooq Ahmad from Sopore, added: “Our apples were meant for Delhi and other big markets. The delay has damaged the fruit and brought down the rates drastically. We are being forced to sell at throwaway prices.”
The closure of the highway—Kashmir’s only all-weather road link to the rest of India—not only disrupted fruit supplies but also triggered a sharp fall in demand. “Traders outside Kashmir are now reluctant to book from us. They fear their consignments won’t reach in time,” noted Bashir, urging the government to provide immediate relief and establish alternative modes of transport.
Growers are demanding a stronger cold storage network and subsidised air cargo to prevent such crises in future.
“If the government truly wants to save this industry, it must act now. Otherwise, our growers will be crushed under losses,” warned Bashir.
