Thieves steal around 100 apple crates from orchard in south Kashmir's Shopian

Shopian, Sep 12: A fruit grower from South Kashmir’s Shopian district has alleged that nearly 100 apple crates were stolen from his orchard in Reban Zainapora.

The grower, Manzoor Ahmad Hajam, said that the theft took place during the night when unknown persons entered his orchard and carried away the harvested produce.

“I discovered in the morning that around 100 apple boxes were missing. This has caused me huge financial loss at a time when growers are already struggling with market challenges,” Hajam said.

He said he has reported the incident at the police station and they assured me that culprits will be brought to justice.

The incident has caused concern among farmers in the area, who have urged the authorities to take measures for safeguarding orchards during the ongoing harvesting season. [KNT]