Says “9 lakh apple boxes transported through rail till 23rd October”

Srinagar : Minister for Agriculture Production, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Javid Ahmad Dar today informed the Legislative Assembly that ₹12.28 lakh has been disbursed to the affected farmers as compensation for the losses caused by natural weather vagaries that struck various parts of Jammu and Kashmir during September 2025.

He stated that the total compensation amount calculated for eligible losses under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) norms stands at ₹152.37 lakh, out of which ₹12.28 lakh has already been disbursed.

Minister was responding to the Calling attention motion moved my MLA Hilal Akbar Lone regarding the steps taken by the government for providing of compensation to the affected farmers, due to the recent blockade of national highway.

He also informed that despite the temporary disruption of road connectivity along National Highway-44 due to heavy rains and landslides, the government ensured transportation of apple produce from the Kashmir Valley to major markets outside the Union Territory.

“During the road-blocked period, 1,25,376 apple boxes worth ₹10.03 crore were dispatched by train from Budgam and Anantnag to Jammu and Adarsh Nagar, Delhi. Up to 23rd October 2025, approximately 14,000 metric tonnes (9 lakh boxes) have been transported from various Fruit and Vegetable markets of the Kashmir Valley to destinations outside Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory through rail services,” the Minister said.

Regarding the damage caused to farmers by the recent floods and landslides, the minister said that a comprehensive assessment was carried out by the department that revealed that the floods affected 431.091 hectares of crop area, with losses exceeding 33 percent across Jammu and Kashmir.

He further assured that the government remains committed to supporting the farming community and that all necessary measures are being taken in this regard.

He said that the J&K Government is set to implement Re-structured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS). Under RWBCIS, Apple, Saffron, Mango, and Litchi crops have been notified to provide cover. The tendering process for selection of insurance company (out of the empanelled insurance companies notified by the GoI) to provide insurance cover to these horticulture crops is in process, he said.

Minister said that Kashmir, predominantly an agrarian economy, is the leading apple-producing region in India, contributing significantly to the national apple output. He said that the current apple production for the 2025 season is estimated at approximately 22.15 Lakh Metric Tonnes (MT).

Minister informed that out of the 22.15 Lakh MT production, it is the normal trend that around 14.0 Lakh MT is exported to markets outside J&K, while the balance is consumed locally, stored in CA facilities, or lost due to natural perishability and handling losses.

“At the time of the road blockage, only 22,000 MT (about 1%) remained stranded on NH-44 during the period under reference, whereas a larger part of the produce would continue to move out in phases as per the seasonal pattern,” he said.

Regarding the alternative measures taken for movement of horticulture produce during the period National Highway remained closed, he said that six-tyre trucks were permitted to use the Mughal Road.

Javid Dar further informed that Department of Horticulture P&M established a control room at Qazigund for monitoring and coordination of truck movement.

He said that farmers and traders were encouraged to use railway parcel vans, defer harvesting until NH-44 restoration and CA stores were recommended for short-term preservation.

Regarding the disruption in the movement of fruits due to highway blockade, minister said the region’s horticultural produce movement was affected due to prolonged closure of National Highway 44 (NH-44), due to natural vagaries resulting in washing of carriageway of the national highway and landslides, which is the primary route for transporting fresh fruits and vegetables to national markets.

Heavy rainfall and landslides during August and early September (26th & 27th August and 2nd & 3rd September 2025) led to extensive damage along NH-44, including washing of a road stretch and landslides at various locations, disrupting the supply chain and stranding significant quantities of apple produce.