Kashmir fruit growers strike over ₹400cr losses as highway stays shut; LG Manoj Sinha launches Budgam-Delhi parcel train
The National Highway closure has caused around 400 crore losses to the Horticulture Industry. Photograph: (WION)
The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway has been shut for over two weeks, and even after traffic was allowed to resume, vehicles are crawling along due to heavy congestion.
At a time when apple growers are harvesting their produce across various districts in the Kashmir region, all fruit mandis in the division observed a two-day strike today to protest the prolonged closure of the National Highway. The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway has been shut for over two weeks, and even after traffic was allowed to resume, vehicles are crawling along due to heavy congestion. The National Highway closure has caused around 400 crore losses to the Horticulture Industry.
The months of September and October are critical for the horticulture industry in the Kashmir Valley, marking the peak season for harvesting and distributing produce across India. Kashmir accounts for approximately 78 per cent of India's apple production, making it one of the country's leading producers of this fruit. The apple industry contributes roughly 15 per cent to the region's GDP, yielding around 2.5 million metric tonnes of apples annually. This output represents about 78 per cent of India's total annual apple production, generating an estimated economic value of 15,000 to 20,000 crore.
''It's been around 20 days since the National Highway was closed, which has led to losses of crores of rupees. We are doing this protest only for one demand of opening the national highway as soon as possible. The second is that the present government is sleeping here, we had voted and chosen a government, but they are watching as silent spectators. It's very unfortunate that our district has six MLA's and they have not uttered a word. They only think about themselves and nothing else. The motive of this protest is to wake up the sleeping government of Jammu and Kashmir, '' said Mohammad Amin Wani, President, Handwara Fruit Association.
Some of the Fruit growers are requesting the government to hand over the National Highway to the Indian Army. They allege that not one MLA from the Kashmir division has spoken about the closure of the National Highway and losses incurred by the fruit growers.
''We have decided to close down the fruit Mandi's for two days due to the closure of the National Highway. If the government does not restore the National Highway within two days, we will come on the roads, our families will come out too. This is our only way of survival, the tourism industry has already finished after the Pahalgam attack, and now only horticulture was saved but that is also breathing its last. We request the LG and central government to restore the road. We have so many MLAS here and not one of them has spoken. The National Highway should be handed over to the Indian Army and I am sure they will restore it within a day, '' said Fayaz Ahmad Malik, Sopore Mandi.
Meanwhile, the LG of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, flagged off a Parcel Train with eight coaches from Budgam to New Delhi. This initiative addresses long-standing demands from apple growers, who have faced challenges due to the national highway connecting Srinagar to the rest of India being closed for weeks at the time of the harvest. The two parcel trains from Budgam will transport fresh apple produce from various districts to multiple states across India, boosting the region’s agricultural economy.
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Launched during the peak apple harvest season, this service aims to address persistent logistical challenges caused by frequent disruptions on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway (NH-44), including landslides and closures due to adverse weather conditions. These disruptions have annually resulted in spoilage, delayed deliveries, and financial losses amounting to hundreds of crores for farmers transporting perishable goods by road.
''I believe this train will contribute a lot to the economic upliftment. We know due to heavy rainfall, the national highway gets closed sometimes and it used to cause losses to the fruit growers. I think in the coming days there will be a big change in Kashmir because of Indian railways. The railways have started a very good service and I want to thank them for it, at least the goods of farmers from Kashmir will reach the markets in the rest of the country, '' said LG Manoj Sinha.
The parcel train will operate daily from Budgam to Adarsh Nagar railway station in New Delhi as a scheduled service, departing Budgam at 6:00 AM with stops at Bari Brahmana and Jammu, reaching Adarsh Nagar in approximately 23 hours. Comprising eight parcel vans dedicated to fruit transport, each train will initially carry 180–200 metric tons of apples daily. Transportation costs are expected to be roughly half that of road haulage.
