KR News Bureau
Srinagar, Oct 8
Over 7 lakh apple-growing families in Kashmir are under severe distress as changing climatic conditions coupled with administrative hassles have adversely hit the trade.
Kashmir’s Rs 10,000-crore apple industry faced a major crisis after the valley saw back-to-back lockdowns in 2019 in view of the suspension of Article 370 and later due to Covid.
The apple growers continue to suffer as thousands of fruit-laden trucks continue to be stranded on the Srinagar-Jammu highway in south Kashmir.
The growers allege the administration is unmoved by the impending economic crisis if apples continue to rot on roads before entering the fruit Mandis of the country.
Last week, the apple-laden trucks were allowed to move towards Jammu after the intervention of the administration but the situation is reached back to square one, Bashir Ahmad Bashir President of Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Cum Dealers Union (KVFGCDU) told Kashmir Review.
At least 6000 trucks are stranded on the highway and are awaiting a green signal from traffic authorities to cross the Banihal tunnel, Bashir said.
“Among the stranded truckers are those who have been there since October 2. So, we have not seen any concrete steps taken by the government to address the situation,” he said.
“If the apple-laden trucks continue to remain stranded, we will die of starvation. We have taken loans from banks and our crop is rotting on roads,” said Ghulam Hassan Rather, a fruit grower in north Kashmir. “It will be devastation for Kashmir if the horticulture sector fails again this year,” Rather said.
On alternate days around 2500 trucks are leaving Sopore Mandi but only 200 to 300 are allowed to ply on the highway from Banihal. “Some drivers are stranded for more than a week now,” he said.
He said government claims of an improved situation were confined to press notes while and the situation on the ground was bad.
“It is happening first time in past four years. We didn’t see it in the CoVID or when Article 370 was abrogated,” he said.
As trucks continue to remain stranded on roadsides, Bashir said it has given a major jolt to the apple market.
In the last week of September, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Pandurang K Pole said all the stranded trucks would be cleared and the transport of apple-laden trucks would be hassle-free.
