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Srinagar: The closure of the Srinagar-Jammu Highway has brought the Handwara fruit mandi, one of north Kashmir\u2019s largest apple markets, to a standstill, with losses already estimated at over Rs 500 crore.<\/p>\nSrinagar: The closure of the Srinagar-Jammu Highway has brought the Handwara fruit mandi, one of north Kashmir\u2019s largest apple markets, to a standstill, with losses already estimated at over Rs 500 crore.<\/p>\n
According to Kashmir Media Service, yesterday, at least six trucks loaded with freshly picked apples were forced to return to Handwara after being stranded for several days on the highway.<\/p>\n
By the time they got back, the fruit had begun to rot. \u201cIt\u2019s devastating,\u201d said Mohammed Ameen, President of the Handwara Fruit Mandi. \u201cThe apples are gone. The money is gone. How do we recover from this?\u201d<\/p>\n
The Srinagar-Jammu highway, the Valley\u2019s only road link to the rest of world, has been repeatedly blocked in recent weeks by landslides, mudslides, and falling boulders triggered by rains.<\/p>\n
For Kashmir\u2019s apple sector\u2014which accounts for nearly 70 percent of India\u2019s apple production\u2014these disruptions translate into huge economic shocks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not just a business loss. It\u2019s our entire year\u2019s labour, our families\u2019 survival,\u201d said Showkat Dar, an orchardist from the outskirts of Handwara. He said many growers take loans from banks or commission agents before the season, expecting to repay once the crop is sold. \u201cWhen the fruit rots on the road, how do we pay back?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
Traders and growers at the mandi said they have repeatedly flagged the vulnerability of the highway, particularly during harvest months, but no long-term solution has been implemented. \u201cEvery year, the highway blocks, every year we suffer. The government announces committees, meetings, but nothing changes,\u201d said a trader who didn\u2019t want to be named.<\/p>\n
Apart from the immediate loss of fruit, the prolonged closure is also hitting Kashmir\u2019s reputation in outside markets. \u201cBy the time our fruit reaches Delhi or Mumbai after such delays, buyers hesitate. They say Kashmiri apples don\u2019t arrive fresh anymore,\u201d said Waseem Ahmad, another trader.<\/p>\n
The Handwara mandi is one of the main collection and distribution points for apples in north Kashmir, feeding markets in Sopore, Delhi, and other states. With trucks stuck and produce decaying, growers are demanding urgent measures. Their primary demands include immediate highway clearance, compensation for damaged consignments, and, crucially, the creation of alternative supply routes such as dedicated rail freight services or cold-chain air cargo facilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t depend on one fragile road link for a crop worth thousands of crores,\u201d said a senior member of the Fruit Growers Association. \u201cIf the government can run parcel trains from Budgam, why not extend them to north Kashmir? Why not create a perishable-goods corridor for horticulture produce?\u201d<\/p>\n
Officials in the Horticulture Department acknowledged that the situation is dire. A senior officer said the department has received reports of heavy losses from multiple mandis and is compiling a district-wise assessment. \u201cWe are in touch with the Divisional Commissioner\u2019s office. The matter has been flagged at the highest level for both immediate relief and long-term solutions,\u201d the official said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, frustration is mounting among growers. Some commission agents have hinted at protest action if the government does not intervene swiftly. \u201cWe have reached a breaking point,\u201d said a trader. \u201cIf this continues, the entire season will collapse before our eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Srinagar: The closure of the Srinagar-Jammu Highway has brought the Handwara fruit mandi, one of north Kashmir\u2019s largest apple markets, to a standstill, with losses already estimated at over Rs 500 crore. According to Kashmir Media Service, yesterday, at least six trucks loaded with freshly picked apples were forced to return to Handwara after being …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":183358,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-183357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-statements-form-kashmir"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/assests\/2025\/09\/z2.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183357","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=183357"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183357\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":183359,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183357\/revisions\/183359"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/183358"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=183357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=183357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=183357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}