In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the continued closure of the Srinagar–Jammu highway has brought the valley’s fruit economy to a standstill, with losses already crossing Rs 200 crore as hundreds of fruit-laden trucks remain stranded for days together.
The blockade has forced Asia’s second-largest fruit mandi in Sopore to suspend operations for two days, dealing a crushing blow to thousands of growers and traders who depend on horticulture for survival.
President of the Kashmir Fruit Growers and Dealers Association, Fayaz Ahmad Malik, said that highly perishable fruit consignments, especially Bagogosha pears and Gala apples, are rotting by the roadside. “We are already facing losses worth over Rs 200 crore. If the highway does not reopen, it may touch Rs 400 crore. That is why we have decided to suspend all trading activities to prevent more wastage,” he added.
Growers across the valley expressed despair. “It feels like 2022 all over again. We suffered massive losses then, and now we are staring at an even bigger disaster,” said Fayaz Ahmed, a farmer from Sopore. Abdul Rashid, another grower from Rafiabad, lamented, “What used to sell at Rs 600 per box is now reduced to Rs 400. If authorities do not intervene, this industry will collapse.”
The traders and growers jointly urged the authorities to prioritize fruit trucks, warning that prolonged disruption will devastate a sector that sustains lakhs of families in the occupied territory.
“Kashmir’s economy is horticulture-driven. If this highway remains shut, the backbone of our economy will break,” they warned.
