Dry Fruit, Saffron Sales Drop Sharply Post Pahalgam Attack

Letpora (Pampore), May 21: In the quiet town of Letpora, nestled along the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, a sense of despair hangs heavy in the air. Once a bustling hub of saffron and dry fruit trade, the town is now reeling under the economic aftershocks of the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22 that claimed 26 lives, including 25 tourists and a local pony operator.

For Noor Mohammad Bhat, a 75-year-old dry fruit trader, the downturn has been swift and severe. Seated cross-legged inside his once-thriving shop lined with meticulously arranged walnuts, almonds, and berries, he surveys an empty parking lot outside — a stark contrast to the usual crowd of vehicles and tourists that would stop en route to Pahalgam.

“Customers have vanished. It feels like the 1990s again,” said Bhat, recalling the dark days of conflict when his business often went weeks without a single sale. “We had come a long way since then. But this attack has pushed us back to square one.”

The Letpora market, spread over a 3-kilometre stretch along the highway, is home to around 200 shops selling high-value products like saffron, dry fruits, and honey. It had witnessed a steady resurgence in recent years, with rising tourist footfall translating into a booming trade. According to traders, the daily turnover before the attack was around `1 crore.

“Now, the entire market struggles to clock even `1 lakh in sales per day,” said Ashiq Hussain, president of the Dry Fruit and Saffron Association, Letpora. “Earlier, we sold at least five kilograms of saffron daily. Now, even selling a few grams is a struggle.”

The decline in sales is attributed almost entirely to the drop in non-local visitors. Shopkeepers say most of their current customers are locals, who typically buy in very small quantities. Bulk buyers — especially tourists and traders from outside the Union Territory — have all but disappeared.

“Our business depends on tourist traffic,” said another trader. “Stocks are lying unsold. Covering basic expenses is becoming increasingly difficult.”

Letpora’s economy is deeply entwined with the region’s saffron trade — a heritage crop that brings in premium prices. With unsold inventory mounting and little hope of immediate recovery, many fear long-term economic damage.

The fear and uncertainty following the Pahalgam attack have not only affected trade but also dulled the optimism of a region that had only recently begun to reclaim its place on the tourism map. “The attack didn’t just take lives — it shattered livelihoods,” said Hussain. “We hope the situation stabilises, but until tourists return, our recovery remains a distant dream.”