Kashmir fruit traders fear another year of losses, this time from Amarnath Yatra curbs

Fruit growers and traders held a protest in the valley on July 2 over the stoppage of fruit-laden trucks along the highway.

Traffic curbs on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway to facilitate the smooth and safe movement of Amarnath pilgrims (yatris) have resulted in hundreds of trucks carrying fruits from Kashmir Valley to other states being stopped.

Fruit growers fear another year of losses if the trucks transporting their produce are not allowed passage on the highway.

Although the Union Territory administration has said fruit-laden trucks will be allowed on the highway, many growers complained that an advisory issued in this regard hasn’t been implemented fully.

Moneycontrol reached out to Kashmir divisional commissioner Pandurang K. Pole for an update on the status of implementing the advisory, but he didn't respond. The story will be updated when he responds.

An official from the administration told Moneycontrol that smooth passage of fruit-laden trucks will be facilitated and officials have already been instructed to put out a new traffic advisory. A traffic police official told Moneycontrol that the department issued an advisory for the movement of yatris, tourists and trucks along the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway and Mughal Road.

The official, who did not want to be identified, said Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha directed officials to ensure that fruit growers, farmers and dealers transporting perishable items like fruits and vegetables do not face inconvenience on the national highway.

Extended losses

Dealers and fruit growers in Kashmir Valley have been struggling with losses and setbacks for the past four years and say they will face more losses if fresh fruit-laden trucks are not allowed smooth passage along the highway.

In January, Moneycontrol reported on how large quantities of apples from Iran had flooded the Indian markets, hurting the Kashmiri apple’s market share.

Growers suffered huge losses during the months-long shutdown after the Central government revoked Article 370 according special status for Jammu & Kashmir on August 5, 2019. That was followed by back-to-back lockdowns due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2018, apple growers in the Valley incurred a loss of Rs 500 crore after untimely snowfall destroyed much of their crop. This year, too, there’s been an outbreak of fungal disease in the orchards, causing huge scars on leaves of trees.

The 43-day-long annual Amarnath yatra started on June 30 after a hiatus of two years owing to the pandemic. The administration has put in place unprecedented security for a secure and smooth yatra for devotees.

Thousands of pilgrims board buses from Jammu and travel on the 300-km Srinagar-Jammu national highway to reach the Baltal and Pahalgam base camps in south Kashmir, from where they set out to the Amarnath Cave.

Fruit growers and traders held a protest in the valley on July 2 over the stoppage of fruit-laden trucks along the highway. They also said that they welcomed the pilgrims but should not be made to suffer at the cost of the yatra.

The fruit growers posted pictures of rotten apples on social media after the trucks were stopped and appealed to the administration to resolve the issue.

The growers posted pictures of rotten fruits on social media.

The traffic curbs have caused a loss of about Rs 50 crore over three days, Fayaz Ahmad Malik, president of the Fruit Growers and Dealers Association, Sopore Fruit Mandi, told Moneycontrol. Trucks carrying fruits were sent out every day from the Sopore fruit market.

Perishable items

“These are perishable items and their life is 4-5 days,” Malik said, adding that the rising temperature in the valley made things worse for the growers. He said over 100 vehicles of fresh fruit leave the Sopore fruit market daily, headed to New Delhi’s Azadpur Mandi, one of Asia’s largest wholesale fruit and vegetable markets.

“But when the trucks got stuck on the road, the fruits turned rotten and as a result, demand was low,” he added.

He said apart from apples, peaches, plums and pears were also dispatched to other states in the trucks.

Malik told Moneycontrol that the administration had assured him on July 3 that the issue would be resolved.

The Srinagar-Jammu highway is one of the most treacherous in the world. Over 500 people have died in road accidents from 2017 to 2021, according to a report. Mughal Road, an alternative route for the trucks, usually remains shut due to bad weather.

Growers suffered huge losses during the months-long shutdown.

The highway is a lifeline for over 6.5 million people living in Kashmir. All essential supplies, including grains, pulses, vegetables, mutton, poultry, petroleum products and medicines are brought to the landlocked Valley through this road.

However, a few hours of rainfall or snow can block the highway for days, while shooting stones – pieces of rock that roll down the mountain slope – threaten the lives of travellers.

Regional political parties joined the fruit growers and expressed resentment over the halting of the fruit-laden trucks.

The National Conference, while urging the administration to allow passage of the fruit-laden trucks on the national highway, said growers have already suffered losses over several years and now have to face more losses.

“Orchardists had pinned high hopes following the bumper harvest of cherry, plums and other fruits. Unfortunately for them, their produce which was supposed to reach fruit mandis across the country is lying stuck on the highway for reasons known to the administration,” the party said in a statement.

Former J&K chief minister and Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti alleged the economy has already been in a free fall since 2019 and is being further crippled due to harassment caused under the pretext of security on the national highway.

Restricted timings

According to the latest traffic advisory, a copy of which is with Moneycontrol, tourists, yatris and the general public have been asked to follow travel timings and restrictions along NH-44 and Mughal Road.

Pilgrims and tourists have been advised to travel in Kashmir Valley from 0700 hrs to 1800 hrs and must reach their destination within this period, according to the advisory. Those who fail to reach their destination within the stipulated time will be taken by security forces to the nearest lodgement centre for the night.

Horticulture is vital in the UT’s economy, with a yearly turnover of Rs 1,200 crore. It provides direct and indirect employment to about 2.3 million people.

According to government figures, apple production in Jammu and Kashmir stood at 19.4 lakh tonnes in 2017-18. It rose to 20.9 lakh tonnes in 2018-19 and fell to 19.5 lakh tonnes in 2019-20.