3 weeks ago
Kashmir Apple Growers Count Losses as Highway Closures Strand Trucks
Apple farmers in Kashmir grow lots of apples.
When it is harvest time, they put the apples on big trucks to send them to cities like Delhi.
But the main road, called the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, keeps closing because of landslides and road repairs.
When the road is closed, the trucks get stuck for days or even weeks.
The apples are fresh and cannot wait that long, so more than half of them rot before reaching the market.
This means the farmers lose a lot of money.
The road was closed for 284 days between 2018 and 2024.
Experts say about 9.5 out of every 100 apples grown in the region are lost after picking.
Farmers hope trains can help carry apples, but they need better loading stations.
The government is also building cold storage rooms so apples can last longer.
Repeated closures of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, caused by landslides and road works, have stranded hundreds of fruit-laden trucks during the ongoing apple season.
Bashir Ahmad Basheer, chairman of the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers-cum-Dealers Union, said trips that normally take 15-18 hours to Delhi's Azadpur Mandi can stretch for weeks, with more than half the fruit rotting.
Official data shows the highway was closed for 284 days between 2018 and 2024; last year's industry losses were estimated at ₹1500 to ₹2000.
A NABCONS study for 2020-22, recently tabled in the Lok Sabha, found that 9.51 per cent of Jammu and Kashmir's apple production is lost after harvest.
Farmers say the Mughal Road cannot carry 12-tyre trucks, and while railway parcel trains help, dedicated loading facilities are needed at Sopore, Anantnag, Pampore and Shopian.
- Who
- Kashmir apple growers, including Bashir Ahmad Basheer, chairman of the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers-cum-Dealers Union, and grower Tariq Ahmad.
- What
- Repeated closures of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway have stranded hundreds of fruit-laden trucks, causing perishable fruit to rot and growers to suffer heavy losses.
- Where
- Along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway in Kashmir, on the route to Azadpur Mandi in Delhi.
- When
- During the ongoing apple season, with the highway closed three to four times in recent weeks; the article was published on August 11, 2026.
- Why
- Landslides, incessant rains and road works have forced repeated closures, and highly perishable fruit cannot withstand the long delays.
Key facts
- Highway closure days (2018-2024)
- 284 days
- Normal transit time to Delhi
- 15-18 hours
- Post-harvest apple production loss
- 9.51%
- NABCONS study period
- 2020-22
- CA storage capacity
- Around 2.92 lakh metric tonnes
- New CA chambers expected
- 30
- Vehicles banned on Mughal Road
- 12-tyre trucks
- Peak harvest period needing rail services
- August to November
Quotes
Bashir Ahmad Basheer
Chairman of the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers-cum-Dealers Union
“He said, “Due to the prolonged closure, more than half of the fruit rots inside the trucks.””
thehindubusinessline.com
Sources
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