Unusual weather from the sudden advent of summer-like conditions in March to the cooler-than-usual temperatures in May has one again brought Kashmir’s apple industry under stress. Never forget that snowfall in plains followed by hail storm in North and South Kashmir district in May is a very rare occurrence and had this not happened in the month of the May the hopes of revival of the apple industry after last year’s huge losses won’t have died down this year. The huge losses suffered by apple traders due to two successive covid lockdowns one after the other from March 2020 to November 2021 followed by rotting of several hundreds of tones of apple on Jammu-Srinagar highway due to frequent disruptions in the movement of hundreds of apple laden trucks last winter show that losses suffered by apple traders during last three years head to no dead end in Kashmir. The growing demands for some incentives to apple growers as such deserve an immediate attention and intervention of the government right in the earnest. While measures for releasing mounting pressure on apple growers are yet to be announced by the Government, the demands for compensation for the losses apple growers suffered due to traffic blockades on Jammu-Srinagar highway last winter have not been also conceded by the Government so for. While the fact remains that no business community in any part of the world can withstand the stress of two consecutive lockdowns in two years and several traffic blockades last winter on the only surface link used for transportation of apple to different parts of the country, the immediate focus of rehabilitation plans of the Government, has to be necessarily on protection of apple industry keeping in view the huge losses the apple growers suffered due to frequent traffic blockades on Srinagar-Jammu highway last winter.
“Since Kashmir valley produces 77% of the apple produced in the country, the compensation for the losses suffered by apple growers due to frequent traffic blockades deserves immediate attention and intervention of the Jammu & Kashmir Government. By all standards of understandabilities the assessment of the losses suffered by apple growers if accorded top priority for the purposes of compensating the losses would surely keep alive the hopes of the revival of apple trade badly hit by recent rains in plains and snowing in the upper reaches”.
Never forget that even if official figures are to be believed, about 1, 64,854 hectares of land is under the cultivation of different varieties of apple in Valley and more over apple industry provides livelihood opportunities to over 3.5 million people annually. Since Kashmir valley produces 77% of the apple produced in the country, the compensation for the losses suffered by apple growers due to frequent traffic blockades deserves immediate attention and intervention of the Jammu & Kashmir Government. By all standards of understandabilities the assessment of the losses suffered by apple growers if accorded top priority for the purposes of compensating the losses would surely keep alive the hopes of the revival of apple trade badly hit by recent rains in plains and snowing in the upper reaches.
