By Gulzar Bhat

Copyright thehindubusinessline

Kashmir’s fruit trade came to a standstill for the second day on Monday, as mandis across the Valley shut down shutters in protest of frequent traffic disruptions on the Jammu–Srinagar national highway, leaving apple growers counting mounting losses amidst peak harvest season.

Farmers pegged the losses at ₹700 to ₹750 crore as produce rotted in hundreds of trucks stranded along the road.

“We are suffering huge financial losses every day while our fruit lies stuck on the road,” Bashir Ahmad Basheer, chairman of the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers and Dealers Association, told businessline.

“We decided to shut all major fruit mandis across the Valley to protest the disruptions,” he said.

Highway Crisis

The crisis unfolded in the second week of August, when unceasing rains loosened the mountainsides, sending down landslides and tumbling rocks that choked the Jammu–Srinagar national highway, a key arterial road connecting the Valley with the rest of the country.

The authorities made unceasing efforts to reopen the road by removing the debris and carrying out controlled blasts on rocks to clear blockages and restore traffic movement.

However, due to recurring landslips and fresh rockfalls, the highway remained shut at intervals, allowing only single lane traffic along certain stretches. The stretch at Thard in Udhampur remains most precarious, with traffic frequently disrupted as the road continues to sink.

“Vehicles often get stuck on the single-lane, uneven stretch, and heavy machinery is used to pull out trucks,” an official said, adding the current passage was a temporary road after the original was washed away.

Farmer Protests

Farmers and traders on Monday staged protests in Sopore, Shopian, Jablipora and other wholesale fruit markets, seeking full restoration of traffic on the Jammu–Srinagar national highway. “Earlier, our tourism was hit; now our apple economy is being crippled. How are we supposed to survive?” said a protester at the Jablipora fruit market in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, who later stripped his shirt in anger.

According to farmers thousands of apple cartons remain stranded at wholesale fruit markets, awaiting transportation.

Mohamamd Ashraf Wani, president of Fruit Mandi Shopian said that over 2 lakh apple cartons were lying in the mandi.

“The crisis has hit at the peak of the harvest season”, said Wani.

Jammu and Kashmir annually produce 20 to 22 lakh tonnes of apples, accounting for over 75 per cent of the country’s total production. The industry provides direct and indirect employment to over 30 lakh people.

CM criticises Centre

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah slammed the Centre for failing to restore the national highway.

“This highway falls under the jurisdiction of the Government of India. If they cannot maintain it, they should hand it over to us”, Omar told reporters in Srinagar.

He said that he would speak to Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari regarding the restoration of road.

Published on September 15, 2025