Future-Proofing Apples

Celebrated as the“Apple Bowl of India,” the Valley produces nearly three-quarters of the country's total apple output, over 20 lakh metric tonnes every year. More than a quarter of the region's population, nearly 35 lakh people, are directly or indirectly dependent on this industry. Yet, year after year, the trade is held hostage to weather, road closures, and inadequate infrastructure. The recent losses, with truckloads of fruit stranded on the Srinagar–Jammu highway and prices crashing in outside mandis, are a reminder of how fragile this backbone of rural livelihood remains.

Despite efforts by the administration, such as deploying RTC trucks to check exploitative freight rates, or starting parcel train services to Delhi, growers say the real crisis is not just logistics but demand. Even as 1.37 lakh metric tonnes of fruit moved out of the Valley in ten days, nearly two-thirds of the crop still lies unsold in orchards and godowns. In mandis, oversupply and weak demand are driving prices further down, threatening to push many orchardists deeper into debt. This is not a passing worry but a structural crisis.

Economists point out, losses are often exaggerated or underestimated because the government lacks scientific systems to measure them. As a result, in the absence of credible assessments, policy responses remain ad hoc. The new cargo rail service, for instance, should have been operational well before the harvest season, not as an emergency patchwork when trucks had already piled up.

The government must treat the apple trade with the seriousness it deserves. Cold storage expansion is critical, especially for high-density apples with shorter shelf life. Storage is expected to fetch growers two to three times the price, cushioning them from market shocks. Equally urgent is crop insurance; farmers cannot be left at the mercy of bad weather or highway blockades. The trade also needs investment in marketing, packaging, and logistics.

Finally, government policy must also shield local produce from unfair competition. With Iranian and Washington apples flooding mainland markets at lower tariffs, Kashmiri growers face a double squeeze: high costs at home, lower returns outside. Unless tariff protections are calibrated to safeguard domestic growers, India risks undermining its own largest apple-producing region.

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