ibn sultan
Aadil Bashir
Kulgam, Sept 23: Apple prices in the Kashmir Valley Particularly in kulgam have seen a significant decline this season, causing heavy financial losses to orchardists and traders. On the other hand, the shortage of transport vehicles has led to a sharp rise in fares, adding to their woes.
Farmers and traders have appealed to the government, saying that although the main road was restored after nearly twenty days of closure, the unavailability of transport vehicles is still creating severe hardships. According to them, large quantities of apple boxes are lying unsold in fruit markets, while thousands more remain stuck in orchards and homes, making it impossible to move the produce to outside Fruit Mandis
A large stock of apples in local fruit markets has already started to rot, with many boxes fully damaged. Similarly, apples stored in orchards and homes are also deteriorating.
Farmers blame the severe shortage of transport as the main reason for this wastage, which has also resulted in increased transportation fares, further burdening them financially.
They said that on one hand apple prices have crashed, and on the other, transport expenses have risen sharply, leaving them in a desperate situation.
The growers and traders urged the government to immediately ensure the availability of sufficient transport vehicles so that the produce can be dispatched to outside markets in time. They also demanded long-term measures to ensure that such prolonged road blockages do not occur in the future, as these severely damage the horticulture sector.
“The disruption has badly hit the fruit trade chain. We are unable to lift the produce, and both consumers and producers are in a difficult situation,” said Abdul Rasheed, a trader at the fruit mandi in Kulgam.
Farmers further said that they have suffered huge losses this year, and therefore requested the government to waive off their Kisan Credit Card (KCC) loans, so that they can recover from the setback and continue their livelihood in the coming seasons.
