Srinagar, Sep 22 (KNO): With the Srinagar–Jammu National Highway witnessing frequent closures, coupled with low demand and soaring freight charges, hundreds of apple growers in Kashmir have been turning to cold storage facilities to save their produce. However, much to their frustration, all cold storage units across the valley are already booked in advance, leaving them with no option but to sell at distress rates.
Speaking to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), growers from Shopian, Pulwama and other areas said they are facing one of the toughest seasons in recent memory. They said the traditional supply chain has been disrupted due to highway blockades triggered by landslides, and whatever produce reaches outside markets is being sold at a lower price because of its deteriorated condition.
“We had pinned our hopes on cold storage facilities this year so that we could wait for the right market rates. But when we approached the units, they told us all slots were pre-booked months ago,” said Abdul Rashid, an orchardist from Pulwama. “This means small and middle-class growers like us are left helpless. Big traders who can book storage space in advance are safe, but the ordinary grower is left to suffer.”
Another grower from Shopian, Ghulam Ahmad, said the government should step in immediately. “Every time there is a crisis, we are told to make use of cold storage. But the reality is different—there simply isn’t enough capacity. If new units are not built, this crisis will keep repeating year after year,” he told KNO.
Fruit growers’ associations also raised concerns about high freight charges. They said that even when trucks are available, transporters demand nearly triple the usual rates, further eating into growers’ earnings.
“Imagine the plight of a grower—he can neither send his produce outside due to high freight costs, nor can he store it in cold storage due to advance bookings. What option is left except to sell apples at throwaway prices?” asked Bashir Ahmad, a fruit dealer at Jabli Pora Mandi
The growers appealed to the administration to address the dual issues of transport shortage and lack of cold storage capacity. “Without immediate government intervention, Kashmir’s apple industry—which sustains lakhs of families—will continue to bleed,” they said.
Cold storage unit owners explained that growers, after earning handsome returns from their stored produce in controlled atmosphere (CA) units, had already booked slots months before the season began.
They added that since all slots are now fully booked, allowing others to reserve or store produce is not feasible—(KNO)