Apple crisis deepens in Kashmir: Prices crash, growers stare at unprecedented losses
Shopian, Sep 23: At the peak of the harvest season, Kashmir’s famed apple economy has been thrown into turmoil as prices plummet, leaving growers across the Valley warning of massive losses. A glut in supply, coupled with frequent closures of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, has created a perfect storm that threatens the livelihood of thousands of families.
At the bustling Shopian fruit market, one of the largest mandis in the Valley, the crisis is palpable. A carton of apples that would normally fetch between Rs 700 and Rs 1,200 is now selling for just Rs 300 to Rs 700, traders said. The mandi is currently receiving 200,000 to 250,000 cartons daily, leading to oversupply and further depressing prices.
“We are facing an unprecedented crash. The rates have fallen to levels we could never imagine. Farmers who toiled all year are being forced to sell at throwaway prices,” said Mohammad Ashraf Wani, president of the Fruit Mandi Shopian.
The sharp fall has been compounded by disruptions on the Jammu-Srinagar highway, the Valley’s lifeline to outside markets. Since mid-August, the arterial road has been repeatedly closed due to landslides and repair work, causing consignments to pile up in mandis and shipments to miss delivery deadlines.
“First, the prolonged highway closures destroyed our early shipments. Now, with stocks choked in the markets, prices have collapsed,” said Peer Shabir, a prominent apple grower from Pinjoora, one of Shopian’s apple-rich belts. “If the situation doesn’t improve, losses will be beyond imagination.”
The anxiety is widespread. In the Shopian district alone, more than 85 percent of people are directly or indirectly dependent on the apple industry. With orchards yielding a bumper crop this season, growers fear the cascading effect of falling prices could ripple through every household, undermining the rural economy.
“This is the peak harvest time, and instead of rewarding us, the market is punishing us,” Shabir added. “Most of us won’t even recover the input costs of pesticides, labour, and transport. The financial stress is unbearable.”
For Kashmir, where apples form the backbone of the horticulture sector and contribute significantly to the region’s GDP, the crisis comes as a severe blow. Farmers, traders, and market associations are now calling for immediate intervention to stabilise prices, ensure smooth highway connectivity, and protect an industry that sustains over three million people across the Union Territory.
