Kashmir apple crisis worsens as highway blockade rots harvest

Kashmir apple crisis deepens as highway blockade leaves 4,000 trucks stranded, causing massive fruit losses and threatening farmers’ livelihoods.

Apple trucks stranded for weeks on Jammu–Srinagar Highway

Kashmir’s apple growers are facing devastating losses as thousands of trucks carrying fresh produce remain stuck on the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway. The crucial road link, which connects the valley with the rest of India, has been closed for weeks due to landslides and flooding triggered by heavy monsoon rains.

More than 4,000 trucks are stranded in Qazigund, Anantnag district, leaving tonnes of apples to rot inside tarpaulin-covered crates. Farmers say the crisis has wiped out months of hard work and could push many into debt.

Kashmir produces 80% of India’s apples

Horticulture is the backbone of Kashmir’s economy. The region produces nearly 20–25 million metric tonnes of apples every year, which makes up about 78 percent of India’s total apple output. The harvest season, locally known as Harud, is the most crucial period for farmers who depend almost entirely on this income.

But this year, the closure of the only all-weather highway has brought the trade to a standstill. Markets in Sopore, home to Asia’s largest fruit mandi, remain clogged with unsold crates. Prices have already fallen sharply—from ₹600 ($7) per box to ₹400 ($5)—and growers warn the situation could worsen if the road isn’t cleared soon.

All our hard work is going to waste

Local farmer Javid Ahmad Bhat, who has two truckloads of apples worth more than $10,000 stuck on the highway, says he is helpless.

“We spent the whole year nurturing these orchards, but now everything is going to waste. No one will buy rotten apples, and our fruit will never reach New Delhi,” he said.

Many farmers have now stopped sending apples to the market. With no space left to store crates, they are forced to leave the produce at orchards—where it eventually decays.

Farmers protest, markets shut down

Anger is growing across the valley. Fruit growers recently shut down markets in protest, blaming authorities for failing to act quickly.

Fayaz Ahmad Malik, president of the Kashmir Fruit Growers Association, estimates the losses already run into hundreds of crores of rupees (millions of dollars). He says the government’s slow response worsened the crisis.

Government launches special train, but farmers remain unconvinced

To provide relief, the administration launched a special train service from Budgam to New Delhi on September 15. Officials claim this will cut down transit time and boost farmers’ incomes. However, the train can carry only 23–24 tonnes of produce daily—equivalent to just one truckload.

For a valley that produces two million tonnes of apples annually, growers say the measure offers only minimal support.

Political leaders demand urgent action

Kashmir’s Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has criticized the federal government, saying if they cannot keep the road functional, local authorities should take control.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari announced that over 50 machines are working around the clock to repair the damaged stretch. Despite these assurances, farmers remain skeptical, saying little has changed on the ground.

A double blow to Kashmir’s economy

The apple crisis comes just months after the April Pahalgam attack, which severely hit tourism in the valley. With both tourism and horticulture under stress, Kashmir’s economy is facing one of its toughest years in recent memory.

Rotten apples, wasted dreams

For truck drivers like Shabir Ahmad, stranded for 20 days in Qazigund, the situation is heartbreaking.

“Every morning I check the apple boxes, and every morning more of them are rotten. Nothing is moving. Farmers unload spoiled apples silently and go back home with despair,” he said.

Unless the highway is restored soon, Kashmir’s apple growers fear that this year’s harvest—the result of months of hard labor—will be remembered not for its abundance, but for how it turned to waste on the roadside.

Kashmir apple crisis.