Apple growers are facing huge losses this year due to the Kashmir floods and highway closure, which have disturbed the peak harvest season, as farmers and industry officials stated. Notably, losses of between 6 billion rupees and 7 billion rupees ($68 million and $79 million) are predicted by the industry officials for the national highway, which links Jammu and Srinagar. The highway is considered the major lifeline carrying apples out of the region.
Shockingly, not only this agricultural loss, but heavy rains caused sudden floods have killed dozens of people by mid-August. Bashir Ahmad Basheer, chairman of the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers and Dealers Union, said: “If this continues, the entire season will suffer, and our sector will collapse,” adding that the traffic disruptions escalated the costs, further intensifying the crisis.
India’s apple production is carried out in the mountainous regions of Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, as most of the fruit is consumed domestically. However, less than 2% is exported to Bangladesh and Nepal. Swollen rivers have caused flooding orchards and left behind uprooted trees and rotting fruit in South Kashmir.
Indian Railways Provided Relief to Apple Growers
On Thursday, the Indian Railways provided relief for Apple growers, as they plan to launch a daily service for parcels from Budgam in the Kashmir Valley to Adarsh Nagar station in Delhi, with two carriages dedicated to apples from September 13.
Additionally, one of the truck drivers said, “I don’t know what to do with these apples and who to blame,” further stating that his truckload of apples had rotted, causing an estimated loss of 1 million rupees.
Other truck drivers, some stuck on the highway for nearly two weeks, expressed similar problems, whereas Apple growers who managed to dispatch their produce are still anxious.