A Crisis Beyond the Road
By: Javid Amin | 08 September 2025
In Kashmir, apples are not just a fruit. They are the beating heart of the Valley’s economy, culture, and livelihood. Each autumn, millions of crates of crisp, red apples travel from the lush orchards of Sopore, Shopian, Pulwama, and Baramulla to markets across India—from Delhi to Mumbai, from Amritsar to Ahmedabad. The fruit industry is a lifeline for nearly 35 lakh people in the Valley, directly or indirectly dependent on horticulture.
But in September 2025, this lifeline has been brutally cut. The closure of the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) due to heavy rains, landslides, and subsidence has triggered a catastrophic disruption. Trucks loaded with apples, pears, and plums lie stranded for days, fruit is rotting in transit, mandis are shut, and growers are staring at ₹400 crore in losses within just two weeks.
This is more than an economic crisis. It’s a collapse of trust, a blow to livelihoods, and a reminder of Kashmir’s fragile dependence on a single, overburdened road.
Kashmir’s Fruit Economy: A Lifeline at Risk
To understand the depth of this crisis, we must first understand the weight of horticulture in Kashmir’s economy.
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Contribution to GSDP: Kashmir’s fruit industry contributes ₹10,000–₹12,000 crore annually, making it one of the largest sectors in the Valley’s economy.
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Employment: Nearly 35 lakh people are engaged in fruit cultivation, grading, packing, transport, cold storage, and trade.
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Apple Dominance: Apples account for 65% of the horticultural output. Other major fruits include pears, plums, cherries, apricots, and walnuts.
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Export Reach: Kashmiri apples dominate fruit mandis in Delhi’s Azadpur, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Punjab, and Mumbai, besides international exports to the Middle East.
The Valley is rightly called the “Apple Bowl of India”, producing 20 lakh metric tonnes of apples annually. Any disruption in its supply chain doesn’t just hurt Kashmir—it shakes fruit markets across India.
Highway Closure: The Trigger of Chaos
The root of the current crisis lies in the closure of NH-44, Kashmir’s only all-weather road link to the rest of India.
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Why it matters: Nearly 95% of Kashmir’s fruit consignments travel via NH-44, connecting Srinagar to Jammu, Punjab, and beyond.
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The bottleneck: Landslides, shooting stones, and waterlogging make the highway impassable for days or weeks.
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Alternate routes: Authorities often cite the Mughal Road as an alternative, but it is narrow, steep, and ill-equipped for heavy fruit truck convoys. Moreover, frequent closures due to snow or rainfall make it unreliable.
This means that whenever NH-44 shuts, the entire fruit economy collapses overnight.
Trucks Stranded, Apples Rotting
The images emerging from the ground are heart-wrenching.
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Over 250 trucks loaded with apples are stranded between Lakhanpur and Qazigund.
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Fruit, meant to reach markets in Delhi and Punjab within 48 hours, has been sitting in trucks for 6–8 days, exposed to heat and humidity.
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Cold storage units are overwhelmed and unable to absorb the sudden glut.
A leading trader from Sopore Mandi explained:
“We’ve already lost ₹200 crore in just one week. Apples meant to fetch ₹1,200 per box are now being dumped at ₹300–₹400. By the time they reach Delhi, they are half rotten.”
Ripple Effects: From Orchards to Markets
The closure of NH-44 creates a domino effect across the supply chain.
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Growers’ Distress: Farmers who spent all year nurturing their orchards now see their produce rot before reaching markets.
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Auction Suspensions: Major mandis like Sopore, Shopian, and Baramulla halt auctions as stockpiles grow.
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Market Glut & Price Crash: In Delhi’s Azadpur mandi, the arrival of poor-quality fruit pushes down prices, further hurting growers.
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Consumer Impact: Ironically, while Kashmiri growers face losses, urban consumers pay higher prices for good-quality apples as supply tightens.
Numbers That Hurt: Breaking Down ₹400 Crore Losses
The ₹400 crore figure is not an exaggeration—it is a conservative estimate.
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Apples: 70% of the losses (~₹280 crore).
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Pears & Plums: 15% (~₹60 crore).
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Walnuts & Apricots: 10% (~₹40 crore).
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Logistics & Ancillary Losses: 5% (~₹20 crore) from transporters, packers, and storage operators.
For perspective: in 2022, heavy rains and a highway closure caused ₹250 crore in horticulture losses. The fact that this year’s crisis is already worse shows how vulnerable the sector remains.
Voices from the Valley
Behind the statistics are real people, real stories.
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A Grower from Shopian:
“I borrowed money to buy fertilizers and pesticides this year. Now my apples are rotting. Who will pay my debts?”
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A Transporter from Anantnag:
“My truck has been stuck for five days. I cannot even open the crates for fear the apples will spoil faster.”
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A Commission Agent in Sopore:
“This is not a natural disaster. This is a governance disaster. A single highway cannot decide the fate of lakhs of families.”
These voices capture not just economic pain but also a sense of abandonment.
Government Response: Too Little, Too Late?
The administration has announced escort vehicles for fruit trucks, and claimed that essential supplies are being prioritized. However, traders say the measures are cosmetic.
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Mughal Road diversions create more bottlenecks.
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No compensation has been announced for growers.
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Fuel shortages limit cold storage backup.
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Bureaucratic statements lack ground-level execution.
Even political leaders have begun to criticize the inaction, with calls for a special relief package for growers.
Editorial Takeaway: A Crisis of Planning
This crisis is not simply about bad weather. It’s about bad planning.
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Over-reliance on one road is economically reckless.
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Absence of cold chain infrastructure worsens spoilage.
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No contingency plan exists for perishables.
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Animal and crop insurance schemes remain inaccessible or inadequate.
In short, Kashmir’s horticulture—an industry worth ₹10,000 crore annually—is being run without a safety net.
What Needs to Change: A Reformist Roadmap
Experts suggest a multi-pronged reform strategy:
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Infrastructure Resilience
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Upgrade NH-44 into a true all-weather highway.
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Invest in alternate cargo corridors, including Mughal Road and Srinagar–Kargil–Leh route.
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Develop rail freight connectivity for horticulture.
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Cold Chain Logistics
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Establish large-scale cold storage hubs in Shopian, Sopore, and Baramulla.
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Subsidize refrigerated (reefer) trucks for long-distance transport.
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Policy & Insurance
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Launch a dedicated Fruit Crop Insurance Scheme.
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Provide compensation packages for perishable losses due to logistics failures.
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Digital Monitoring
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Introduce real-time GPS-based tracking of fruit convoys.
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Integrate weather forecasting with logistics planning.
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Market Diversification
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Build direct trade links with Gulf countries.
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Encourage processing industries (juices, jams, dried fruit) to absorb excess stock.
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Global Angle: Kashmir vs. Himachal & International Rivals
While Kashmir struggles, Himachal Pradesh’s apple growers have managed to reduce losses through:
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Better road networks.
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Local processing industries (apple juice, jams, wine).
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Cooperative societies that stabilize prices.
Globally, countries like Turkey, Poland, and China dominate apple exports because they invest in logistics, insurance, and cold chain. Without similar reforms, Kashmir risks losing its edge in both domestic and export markets.
FAQs: What This Means for Growers & Consumers
Q: Will apple prices rise in cities like Delhi and Mumbai?
Yes. Poor-quality apples may sell cheap, but good-quality stock will see price spikes due to limited supply.
Q: Can losses be recovered this season?
No. Once fruit rots, the loss is permanent. Only partial recovery is possible if government compensation arrives.
Q: Is government aid promised?
As of now, no clear relief package has been announced. Growers continue to demand compensation.
Q: Will next year be the same?
Unless alternate routes, cold storage, and planning improve, yes—history will repeat itself.
Conclusion: An Industry Left to Rot
Kashmir’s apple crisis of 2025 is not a freak accident. It is the inevitable result of systemic negligence. A region that contributes billions to India’s economy cannot be left hostage to a single road and unpredictable weather.
When apples rot in stranded trucks, it is not just farmers who lose money. It is the Valley that loses dignity, confidence, and credibility. The ₹400 crore loss is not just a financial figure—it is a symbol of policy paralysis.
Kashmir’s fruit industry is more than business. It is culture, livelihood, and identity. Until planners treat it with that seriousness, every rainfall on NH-44 will mean another crisis, another crore lost, and another dream crushed.
