Double whammy for Kashmir

Srinagar, Sep 18: A viral video from Sopore’s fruit mandi has jolted the conscience of sensitive Kashmiri people, as the video shows a distraught fruit grower tearing his clothes in desperation over the halting of truckloads of apples on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.

With no way to dispatch their produce to outside markets, growers are left with two painful options: either to pay heavy charges to cold storage facilities or watch their hard-earned harvest rot.

Horticulture is the backbone of Kashmir’s rural economy, generating an estimated annual income of Rs 20,000 crore and supporting nearly eight lakh families.

The closure of Kashmir’s only fair-weather road link has disrupted this lifeline, leading to fruit worth more than Rs 1000 crore perishing in stranded trucks.

The crisis comes at a time when Kashmir’s other key economic driver – tourism - remains crippled in the aftermath of April’s terror attack in Pahalgam, where 22 tourists lost their lives.

Together, the twin shocks have left Kashmir’s economy gasping, with livelihoods, investments, and prospects all hanging in the balance.

TOURISM HIT BY FEAR, UNCERTAINTY

Tourism, once touted as Kashmir’s comeback sector, was dealt a devastating setback earlier this year.

The Pahalgam terror attack sent shockwaves across the country, triggering mass cancellations of travel bookings.

The spring and summer seasons, which are normally peak months for visitors, turned into a dry spell for hotels, guesthouses, and houseboats.

Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) President, Javid Ahmad Tenga, said, “The incident broke the back of our industry. Hotels, houseboats, transporters, ponywallas, and handicraft sellers - all faced a collapse in bookings. We were banking on the autumn season for revival, but now even that hope is fading because the highway closure has added to the chaos.”

Travel operators say recovery has been slow, and confidence among tourists remains shaky.

Former president of the Travel Agents Association of Kashmir (TAAK), Farooq Ahmad Kuthoo, said, “We have not recuperated since April. Earlier, we would see thousands of inquiries every month. Now, numbers have dropped drastically. Without security assurance and reliable infrastructure, no serious recovery is possible.”

Ghulam Hassan, a hotelier in Pahalgam, said the losses had forced many establishments to cut down staff.

“We had invested heavily in upgrades this year, expecting good arrivals. But after the attack, cancellations poured in overnight. Rooms are empty, and staff wages are difficult to pay. This crisis is trickling down to taxi drivers, tour guides, and shopkeepers - everyone linked to tourism is feeling the pinch,” he said.

HORTICULTURE IN DEEP DISTRESS

If tourism’s troubles were not enough, horticulture – widely regarded as the bedrock of Kashmir’s economy - now faces unprecedented losses.

Apples, pears, and plums that should have been reaching mandis in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru are instead rotting in stranded trucks along the blocked highway.

“The situation is catastrophic,” said Bashir Ahmad Basheer, Chairman of the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers and Dealers Union. “Losses are piling up every hour. Already, we estimate Rs 500 crore to Rs 1000 crore in damages. Small farmers who rely on a single harvest for survival are at risk of being pushed into debt traps. We have been repeatedly asking for the Mughal Road to be opened for truck movement, but our pleas go unheard.”

The distress is visible on the ground. Many growers are unable to afford cold storage charges, while traders worry about their credibility with buyers outside Kashmir.

A fruit trader, Muhammad Ashraf, said, “By the time apples reach Delhi or Mumbai, they will fetch throwaway prices. We lose not just money but trust with wholesalers. This crisis will cripple us for seasons to come.”

The viral video of a grower tearing his clothes at Sopore mandi has come to symbolise this despair.

With perishable goods rotting and no contingency plan from the authorities, farmers say they feel abandoned.

Economists said that the combined collapse of tourism and horticulture was creating a ripple effect across Kashmir.

They said that the transporters, labourers, shopkeepers, artisans, and even youth working as tourist guides were witnessing shrinking incomes.

The economists said that Kashmir’s economy was too dependent on these two sectors to withstand such prolonged disruptions.