Javeed Ahmad Rather, a 28-year-old fruit trader from Kulgam’s Lakhri Pora, was forced to dig pits and bury 2,000 boxes of rotten apples. His two trucks, laden with the precious produce, had been stuck for ten agonizing days at the Qazigund checkpoint on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway. Rather’s plight mirrors that of hundreds of other local fruit traders now facing severe financial hardship. The highway, a vital lifeline, has been closed for three weeks during the crucial apple harvest season.
Earlier this summer, Javeed meticulously scouted orchards in Pulwama, seeking out the finest apple varieties for his trade. He shared, “I’m not a grower; I’m a trader. I committed to paying ₹300 per box, hoping to sell them for roughly ₹600 outside Jammu and Kashmir. Now, all I have are rotten apples, and I’m literally burying my livelihood.” As the sole provider for his family, the weight of this loss is immense.
Heartbreaking scenes unfolded across the Valley, particularly in the fruit markets of Kulgam and Sopore, as fruit growers and traders had no choice but to offload and dispose of their decaying apple harvests from trucks.
Shahid Dar, an apple grower from Kulgam, lamented, “We pour our heart and soul into nurturing these apple trees, meticulously guarding against infections and ensuring quality produce through countless sprays. This was our season to reap the rewards of a year’s hard work, but it has all tragically gone to waste.”
With hundreds of trucks, some stranded for two weeks, now being turned back from the 290-kilometer Srinagar-Jammu highway to unload their putrid cargo in open orchards and fields, the financial damage is expected to soar into hundreds of crores. The Kashmir Divisional Commissioner has already established a committee to assess the total losses caused by the highway’s closure, which suffered extensive damage from heavy rains last month.
Dar emphasized the unprecedented nature of the crisis: “This is the first time our apple harvest has been stranded and left to rot on the roads. Even during intense periods like the months of street agitation in 2016, apple exports were never affected this severely. Furthermore, most apple farmers lack crop insurance, meaning these losses will send devastating ripple effects throughout Kashmir’s economy.”
Jammu and Kashmir is a powerhouse of apple production, contributing approximately 70% of the nation’s total yield and standing as a significant exporter. This vital trade supports around 3.5 million families across the Valley.
M. Y. Tarigami, a CPI(M) leader and MLA from Kulgam, urged, “The Government of India must take immediate action to ensure apple trucks can reach markets. It’s concerning that the recommendations of the Dr. Swaminathan Commission on agriculture remain largely unaddressed. Despite the severe impact on Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, apples have not been included in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) recommendations.”
Tarigami also highlighted that the apple sector is excluded from the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna (PMFBY), a crop insurance scheme launched in 2016. He stressed, “We urgently need to reintroduce the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) to procure overripe apples for juice and jam production. If the central government cannot facilitate this, the Union Territory administration must allocate funds from the CAPEX Budget to compensate our struggling growers.”
In the 2023-24 period, Jammu and Kashmir’s apple production reached an impressive 2.04 million tonnes.
According to officials, a particularly problematic 300-meter stretch in Udhampur poses a significant hurdle, having experienced multiple landslips and land subsidence incidents over the past three weeks.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is currently under fire from within his own party for the perceived mismanagement of the crisis. National Conference leader and Member of Parliament Syed Aga Ruhullah stated, “The people will not forget the silence of their elected representatives. Kashmir’s economic lifeline is being deliberately choked. Annually, during harvest season, fruit trucks are held until the produce spoils. Even today, despite official assurances that the highway is open, our trucks remain stranded. This is nothing short of an attack on our growers.”
Iltija Mufti, a leader from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), met with J&K Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha to express concerns over the “prolonged closure of the vital road link, which has left hundreds of truckloads of apple produce stranded.” Ms. Mufti remarked, “The apple industry is the very foundation of Kashmir’s economy, yet consistent poor planning and administrative indifference are plunging our growers into crisis, year after year.”
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Abdullah participated in a high-level virtual meeting, presided over by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, to assess the current state of the highway.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister emphasized, “While road blacktopping can be postponed, large vehicles, particularly 4-axle and 5-axle trucks, cannot be rerouted via Mughal Road. This is their sole viable path, and given the immense number of trucks currently stuck on the Kashmir side, resolving this backlog is absolutely critical.”
A government spokesperson reported that Union Minister Nitin Gadkari assured Chief Minister Abdullah that his concerns would be addressed. Chief Minister Abdullah later stated, “At my request, Mr. Gadkari convened a meeting focused on immediate measures to fully restore NH-44 for the urgent transit of fruit-laden trucks and the consistent supply of essential goods. I also reaffirmed my government’s commitment to alleviate the difficulties faced by both commuters and farmers.”