Kashmir Apples Rot As Highway Closure Cripples Transportation

Srinagar- Kashmir's fruit industry is reeling under massive losses as the continued closure of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway has disrupted transportation of produce during the peak harvest season.

President of Sopore Fruit Mandi, Fayaz Ahmad Malik, said on Monday that traders and fruit growers have already suffered losses worth over Rs 200 crore in just over a week of the highway's closure.

“Over 250 trucks are presently stuck at Sopore Mandi. Besides, trucks laden with fruits are stranded in other mandis and along the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway,” Malik said.

The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, the Valley's only all-weather surface link with the rest of the country, has faced repeated closures due to landslides and inclement weather, often disrupting supplies. Malik said the present situation is particularly devastating for the horticulture sector, the backbone of Kashmir's economy.

“Traders and fruit growers have already suffered losses of Rs 200 crore, and the figure is only rising. If the highway doesn't reopen, it may touch Rs 400 crore,” he said.

This is the peak season, and any delay in transportation reduces the fruit's market value,” he added.

Authorities have been allowing a limited number of small trucks through the alternative Mughal Road, but Malik said the arrangement is insufficient.“Apples and other fruits are exported in bulk through big trucks which can ply only on the Srinagar-Jammu Highway. With hundreds of loaded trucks stuck, fruits are deteriorating, forcing traders to sell at throwaway prices,” he explained.

Growers and traders have appealed to the administration to ensure early restoration of the highway to prevent further damage to the sector.“The horticulture industry sustains lakhs of families in Kashmir. If such disruptions continue unchecked, the entire chain-from growers to traders-will be pushed into crisis,” Malik cautioned.

“The market is completely closed. For 15 days, the National Highway has been closed,” Bashir Ahmad Basheer, Chairman of the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers and Dealers Union (KVFGDU) said.“This is the beginning of the whole season and the loss has increased considerably. Fruit growers can't tolerate it.”

Bashir said growers had pinned their hopes on the recently expanded railway operations to ease the crisis but said that too has failed to make a difference.“The train service was expected to provide relief, but it is not operating as required. So that hope too is fading now,” Bashir said.

The Valley's apple harvest, which begins in late August and continues through October, contributes nearly 8 percent to Jammu and Kashmir's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Prolonged disruptions, stakeholders fear, could have long-term implications on both livelihoods and the region's economy.

In view of the ongoing transport crisis, the Kashmir Fruit Growers and Dealers Association Sopore has announced the suspension of all fruit auctions at the Fruit Mandi Sopore on 9th and 10th September 2025. In a statement, the Association said the decision was taken after consultations with growers, dealers, and commission agents, keeping in mind the disruptions caused by the current condition of the National Highway.

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