Fruit growers fume over official apathy: govt, NHAI face fury
Waris Fayaz
Sopore, Sep 14 :
The fruit mandi located on the outskirts of Sopore town used to bustle with activity during the peak apple season, with hundreds of mini-trucks, tractors, and tillers ferrying tens of thousands of apple boxes for sale. But on Sunday evening at 6:30 PM, when this correspondent visited the market—which is usually crowded at this hour—it wore a deserted look, with only a few people present.
The emptiness was the result of a shutdown across all apple markets in Kashmir, including this mandi, scheduled for tomorrow to protest the government’s failure to ensure the unhindered movement of trucks carrying fruit to various markets across the country.
Fruit growers in Kashmir are fretting and fuming over the condition of the Srinagar–Jammu highway—particularly the stretch between Tharad and Balli Nallah, located between Jakhani and Chenani in Udhampur district—which is choking the movement of trucks carrying apples and halting their timely delivery to markets nationwide.
Angered by the government’s apathetic attitude toward the highway crisis, the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Cum Dealers Union on Sunday announced a two-day closure of all fruit mandis across the Valley on September 14 and 15, 2025, to express their outrage over the halting of fruit-laden trucks on the Srinagar–Jammu National Highway (NH44).
In a statement, the fruit growers’ body said that hundreds of trucks carrying perishable fruit consignments remain stranded on the highway and have not been allowed to proceed to their destinations, leading to “massive damages and heavy losses” for growers.
“In view of the persistent demand of fruit growers and dealers of the Valley, it has been resolved that all mandis will remain closed for business on September 14 and 15. Peaceful protests will also be held from 8 AM to 9 AM on both days against the highway restrictions,” the statement read.
Speaking to reporters, Sopore Fruit Mandi President Fayaz Ahmed Malik said thousands of trucks carrying apples and other fruits are stranded on the highway, causing heavy losses to growers. “We have already incurred losses of over Rs 1200 crore. If the authorities want to safeguard Kashmir’s horticulture, they should allow the unhindered movement of fruit trucks towards Jammu for at least two days,” he said.
A group of growers told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that the government appears non-serious about safeguarding the interests of fruit growers. “Why is the government not ensuring the unhindered movement of fruit trucks on the highway? The government should clarify how many meetings have been convened by the Chief Minister or the Horticulture Minister to resolve the highway crisis,” they said, adding that disruptions in traffic movement could have a devastating impact on Kashmir’s economy and push lakhs of families dependent on the apple industry into crisis.
They said they have never faced such a situation in the past. “When the highway was closed during Central rule, Union Home Minister Amit Shah himself directed the J&K Chief Secretary to facilitate the movement of fruit trucks to the market. Why can’t the elected government ensure the smooth movement of trucks on the highway?” they asked.
According to growers, the poor condition of the road between Tharad and Balli Nallah is severely hampering traffic movement. “Traffic is slowing down due to the condition of this patch. It was washed away in recent rains and landslides, and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has built a temporary muddy road to restore traffic,” they said, adding that NHAI should expedite the reconstruction work.
“If they continue working at the current pace, it will take months to fully restore the highway,” they said.
When contacted, general manager & regional officer, NHAI, Jammu, Radhe Shyam Yadav said he is busy. “I will talk to you later,” he said—(KNO)