![\"\"](\"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/assests\/2025\/09\/JK-Highway-Traffic-Closed-2-1024x729-1.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
According to Kashmir Media Service, during a protest at Fruit Mandi Charar-i-Sharif, the fruit growers and dealers association\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cEither the government wants the people of Kashmir to die of hunger,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
Bashir Ahmad Baba described the annual pattern of disruption on the route and said the current season has been especially damaging. \u201cLook 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,\u201d he remarked.<\/p>\n
He said repeated assurances from Agriculture officials and highway\/traffic authorities must now be turned into immediate action.<\/p>\n
Baba estimated valley-wide losses between Rs 500\u2013Rs 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.<\/p>\n
A local transporter corroborated the damage: \u201cI have 10\u201312 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\u201315 days. We have lost crores. We pay heavy tolls \u2014 Rs 11,500 for one round trip to Delhi \u2014 yet a little rain halts everything when landslides occur.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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 …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":182702,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-183540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-indian-occupied-jammu-and-kashmir"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t