Apple growers of Kashmir valley are presently in distress due to lack of hassle free transportation facilities and extra burden of charges paid by them for stocking apple in cold storage rooms during peak harvesting months. While the hassle free transportation facilities is the most preferred practice for taking the apple to fruit markets in different metropolitan cities of the country in short time for the purposes of better profitability, the stocking of apple in cold storage rooms is also a priority for maintaining the quality of the apple till their transportation to fruit markets in different metropolitan cities of the country. For transportation of apple to fruit markets in different metropolitan cities of the country a timeline for hassle fee movement of apple truckloads on Srinagar-Jammu highway has to be a priority and the implementation of such a hassle free movement of truckloads is for all practical purposes the responsibility of traffic police department. No doubt deputy commissioners and district Superintendents of Police ( district SPs) too are responsible for overseeing the hassle free movement of apple truckloads from their concerned districts but ultimately greater responsibility for facilitating hassle free movement of apple truckloads on Srinagar-Jammu highway lies on the traffic police department. For all practical purposes the hassle free movement of apple truckloads on Srinagar-Jammu highway is not possible without effective coordination of deputy commissioners and district Superintendents of Police (SPs) of valley districts with the traffic police department regulating the traffic on Srinagar-Jammu highway. Since frequent traffic disruptions during winter months on Srinagar-Jammu highway leaves convoys of civilian and commercial vehicles stranded for days and even weeks together more ,the stocking of apple in cold storage rooms is as good an unavoidable compulsion as is the hassle movement of apple truck loads on Srinagar-Jammu highway from early autumn till mid winter.
Unless and until a policy of incentives for reducing the losses due to natural calamities is not put into practice the apple traders won’t experience any stability in profits but instead challenges of economic sustainability are likely to mount to new heights year after year. For the sustainability of apple trading there is no alternative to incentivisation of apple industry
As extra charges for stocking of apple in cold storage rooms puts extra burden on apple growers which resultantly reduces their profit margins even below the basic expenditures, the incentives from the Government is the only way to maintain balance in basic expenditure and income of the apple growers. Forget about the incentives on stocking apple in cold storage rooms for maintaining the quality of apple till their transportation to fruit markets in different metropolitan cities of the country, the apple growers are not getting even compensation for the losses suffered by them due to hailstorms in summer months. Unless and until a policy of incentives for reducing the losses due to natural calamities is not put into practice the apple traders won’t experience any stability in profits but instead challenges of economic sustainability are likely to mount to new heights year after year. For the sustainability of apple trading there is no alternative to incentivisation of apple industry
Editor @thekashmirhorizon.com
