Bad days for apple growers never end in Kashmir as some times transportation of apple trucks and sometimes weather spoils the prospects for apple growers in Kashmir valley. This year too heavy showers and hailstorms week after week too hit hard the apple production in Kashmir. Due to the rapid weather changes and hailstorms after brief intervals the apple industry in Kashmir has come under huge stress. Experts believe that losses suffered by apple growers due to untimely rains and hailstorms could be even more than 50 percent in most of the Southern and Northern districts of Kashmir valley . Already under stress due to weather vagaries and frequent shutting down of traffic on Jammu Srinagar highway from December till March end for almost last years, the apple growers are reeling under increasing economic stress across Kashmir. As apple growers themselves say that they have no magic wand to reduce the losses suffered by them due to three consecutive pandemic lockdowns in three consecutive years followed by untimely rains and hailstorms in last two years, a relief package from the Government can only reduce their losses heading to no dead end for the last five year. Teams are constituted for assessing the losses caused to the apple growers and estimates for the losses are also submitted to the Government but the grievances are galore that relief does not reach orchardists in time due to which the apple industry has virtually lost the hopes of revival. The grievances of apple growers as such need to be looked into on case to case basis for the purposes of fast pacing the process of immediate assessment of the losses and also disbursement of relief to them.
Since pressing issue for the apple growers after two months from now onwards would be hassle free transportation of apple to different fruit markers of the country, the priority of the government now should be resolution of issues concerning hassle free transportation of apple from Kashmir Valley to the other parts of the country as otherwise growers would suffer further losses and they will find apple trade at a point of no recovery in coming few months.
Since livelihoods of more than 50% of the population in Kashmir is connected with the apple trade, immediate attention and intervention by the Government on complaints about further delay in the assessment of losses and disbursement of relief to the apple growers is not only imperative but has also become inevitable and unavoidable. Since apple growers have recently said that unless and until the Lt Governor himself does not look into the pressing issues of Kashmir’s apple industry, the announcement of any relief measure won’t bring respite to them in coming months which may prove very critical for survival of the apple trade in Kashmir Valley. Since pressing issue for the apple growers after two months from now onwards would be hassle free transportation of apple to different fruit markers of the country, the priority of the government now should be resolution of issues concerning hassle free transportation of apple from Kashmir Valley to the other parts of the country as otherwise growers would suffer further losses and they will find apple trade at a point of no recovery in coming few months.
