Srinagar, Oct 28 (KNO): The Jammu and Kashmir government Tuesday said that heavy rains and landslides in late August and early September this year led to the closure of National Highway-44 (NH-44), causing disruption in the transportation of horticulture produce, particularly apples, to outside markets.
In a written response in the Assembly, the government, per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said that the current apple production in Kashmir for the 2025 season has been estimated at 22.15 lakh metric tonnes (MT). "The closure of NH-44 and Mughal Road severely affected the movement of fruit-laden trucks, stranding over 22,000 MT (about 2,200 trucks) along the highway as of September 17".
It said that despite the disruption, the government managed to move around 45,922 trucks of fruit outside Jammu and Kashmir through both NH-44 and Mughal Road routes, including produce from previous seasons kept in storage.
It added that an alternate route via Mughal Road was made fully operational to facilitate transportation, while rail dispatches from Budgam and Anantnag to Delhi and Jammu also resumed.
"During the road blockade, about 1,25,376 apple boxes worth Rs 10.03 crore were sent by train. Additionally, a control room was established at Qazigund to monitor and coordinate truck movement," it said.
The government stated that only about 1% of the total produce remained stranded during the blockade, while most of it continues to move gradually as per the seasonal pattern.
"Incessant rains on August 26-27 and again on September 2-3 triggered landslides and flash floods along NH-44, particularly in Ramban and Udhampur districts, washing away sections of the road. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) undertook restoration work on a war footing and reopened the road partially by September 10," it said.
The government also admitted that horticulture farmers suffered losses due to the prolonged rainfall and flooding. "Losses have been assessed over an area of 431.091 hectares with crop damage exceeding 33% across J&K. The total admissible compensation under SDRF/NDRF norms stands at Rs 152.37 lakh, of which Rs 12.28 lakh has already been paid".
To mitigate future risks, the government said it plans to implement the Re-structured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS) for crops including apple, saffron, mango, and litchi. Tendering for empanelled insurance companies is currently under process.
It further stated that around 50% of Kashmir's horticulture produce is being marketed within the Valley, while the rest is traded outside through warehouses and cold storage facilities. "The remaining 16.61 lakh MT includes unharvested fruit forming nearly 75% of the current season's yield," it said—(KNO)