Market Disadvantage
In a competitive market condition an extra penny on the side of costing can cost dearly to the sellers and suppliers of a product. Hence, to stay in the market, and to ensure marketability of a product, it is extremely important that costings are worked out efficiently. The case in point here is the apple produce this harvest in Kashmir. Gone are the times when the Kashmiri apple went to wider markets without facing any worthwhile competition. Now we have other regions, like Himachal, supplying the fruit in good quantity. And then we have apples of different varieties being imported into India. Hence the margins are squeezing and the rates have to be very competitive.
In such a situation a prolonged closure of road link this year posed an extra difficulty. We all know when the road, Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, remains closed for an extended period, it is not only the danger of fruit rotting during transit, but also an escalation in transportation charges. This can result in unsettling the apple cart when it comes to competitive rates in the markets outside Kashmir.
The uncertain condition on this road, in the aftermath of inclement weather stretching for weeks together, put a significant strain on apple transportation. It is something orchidists and the concerned government departments should think through. If the transportation costs escalate, it is a direct loss to Kashmiri apple growers as their produce may not find a suitable response in the market.
The alternatives modes of transportation have to be found, and put in place, well before the next harvest season. Since horticulture is a major economic activity in Kashmir, if it is adversely impacted by any factor, its ripple effect on the domestic economy is bound to be huge.
Though train was also put into service this season, and some people really found it as a temporary relief, but train is not the only link in this transportation chain. The harvest passes through multiple transportation means before reaching a rail platform. If the costing on transportation has to be efficient, it entails efficient transportation right from the orchid to the actual market space. That needs a serious application of mind, and a smart transportation system, resistant to the vagaries of weather.
