Highway shutdowns threaten survival of valley’s fruit economy
Srinagar: Fruit growers and dealers in Charar-i-Sharief, Budgam, have warned of an impending collapse of the local fruit industry after repeated closures of the highway left fruit-laden trucks stranded for days, causing massive spoilage and heavy financial losses.
According to Kashmir Media Service, during a protest at Fruit Mandi Charar-i-Sharif, the fruit growers and dealers association’s President, Bashir Ahmad Baba, said consignments bound for other states, including Delhi, Bengaluru, and Ahmedabad, are arriving rotten, leaving growers, dealers, and transporters in severe distress.
“Either the government wants the people of Kashmir to die of hunger,” he said, adding they do not realise that the fruit industry contributes to the livelihoods and GDP of this region. Tourism only survives when conditions here are good, he added.
Bashir Ahmad Baba described the annual pattern of disruption on the route and said the current season has been especially damaging. “Look at the condition of the markets, goods are rotting. Vehicle rates here are high and many transport owners take no responsibility. Transporters are leaving without help. When a vehicle finally reaches its destination after long delays it earns only one fare in 15 days,” he remarked.
He said repeated assurances from Agriculture officials and highway/traffic authorities must now be turned into immediate action.
Baba estimated valley-wide losses between Rs 500–Rs 700 crore so far this season and warned of social consequences: many farmers who took loans for inputs like pesticides and packaging may be forced to sell land.
A local transporter corroborated the damage: “I have 10–12 vehicles stuck on the road for the last several days. A vehicle can do only two rounds per month now. Only a few trucks carrying essentials were allowed when landslides happened in Himachal and Uttarakhand too, but their highways were not closed for 10–15 days. We have lost crores. We pay heavy tolls — Rs 11,500 for one round trip to Delhi — yet a little rain halts everything when landslides occur.”
The Association demanded immediate restoration of highway movement for fruit trucks, compensation or relief measures for affected growers and a concrete response from the administration to prevent further losses.
