Upsetting the Apple cart
At a time when the red of ripe apples shines in the enormous green of orchards, what has cast gloom over the entire trade is the long closure of national highway. Beyond anyone’s control, inclement turn in weather, for an expended period of time, has devastated this road beyond anyone’s estimations.
Though the government is showing intent of fast tracking efforts at restoration, time is fast slipping out as the harvest season is at its peak.
As the fruit is being harvested, and packaged, the time to transport it to markets spread in India is right here, right now. It cannot wait any further. In such a situation the delay of even some days can result in loss of a year long effort on part of orchidists. The investments in terms of maintenance of orchids can incur a heavy financial loss if the produce doesn’t reach the right destination in right time. Unfortunately the condition of the Srinagar-Jammu Highway is posing a grave challenge.
Though train service has been pressed into action, and this has been hailed by many, there are facts of this trade that don’t settle with just that. In case of fruit produce being transported through train, there are certain problems, overcoming those may not be as easy as someone may gleefully presume.
Our orchardists normally package the produce in boxes, load it in small carriage vehicles, like tractors, and transport it from orchids to main roads where it is shifted into regular trucks. From there onwards, it straightaway is driven to final destination. In case of train, transit links are added. First the produce is to be carried in a tractor, then loaded into truck, carried to the railway station and unloaded. Now it again is to be loaded into a train. Afterwards it will again be delivered at a train station to be yet again loaded into a truck, and then only delivered at some mandi. This way it may not only entail more costs for transportation, but also a likelihood to damage fruit at various transit points.
The point is that Kashmir needs a dependable all weather access to transport its produce outside into the wider market of Indian states. Otherwise the danger of upsetting the apple cart remains alive - ever.
