Fruit Growers Delay Apple Harvest Due To Highway Closure

As Kashmir's famed apple season begins, fruit growers in lower areas, where the season Starts early, are caught in a crisis yet again due to the frequent closure of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, the valley's only all-weather road link with the rest of the country.

- Agencies

The disruption has forced many to delay apple picking, fearing heavy losses if their produce gets stranded en route to markets.

According to the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Cum Dealers Union, around 800 vehicles carrying high-density apples and pears,” said Basharat Ahmad, a grower from Sopore, one of the largest fruit trade hubs in north Kashmir. “The longer our trucks remain stuck, the more we lose. Even if they somehow reach Delhi or other markets, their condition won't be the same, and we won't get the right price.”