Srinagar: Thousands of tonnes of apples are rotting in stranded trucks along the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, with farmers across Kashmir facing huge losses as the road remains closed for the 20th consecutive day.
Visuals of spoiled fruit being dumped near the highway have gone viral on social media, highlighting the scale of damage to Kashmir’s horticulture sector. Apple growers have shut down mandis and staged protests, blaming official inaction for the crisis.
Kashmir produces about 80 percent of India’s apples, and horticulture is considered the backbone of its rural economy. Farmers, already hit by adverse weather earlier in the year, now find their produce stuck on the road at the peak of the harvesting season.
The closure follows last month’s heavy rains, floods, and avalanches that caused major damage to the highway, particularly near Udhampur. A 300-metre stretch at Thared was washed away, while other sections between Chenani and Udhampur, and Nashri and Banihal, were severely impacted. Despite ongoing repair work, the road has not been made fully operational, leaving thousands of vehicles stranded, most of them carrying apples.
The Srinagar-Jammu highway is not only Kashmir’s main trade link but also the key supply route for the Indian Army. With the road shut, the Army has begun using freight trains for advance winter stocking. On the return journey, the trains are carrying apple consignments to Delhi, but the volume transported so far is a fraction of the produce stuck in the Valley.
