by Nawshaba Iqbal
SRINAGAR: Floods during the peak apple harvesting season submerged orchards and rice fields across Pulwama, Shopian, and Baramulla, triggering severe losses for growers. Road closures and delayed transportation left trucks stranded for days, forcing growers to re-route produce at higher costs.
Javed Ahmad Bhat, President of the Fruit Association Pulwama, said Pulwama faced a massive loss. He explained that the orchards were flooded, the weight of the apples caused the trees to bend, many trees fell, and a large quantity of fruit was wasted at the pre-harvest stage.
“As a representative from District Pulwama, I can say that areas like Puchal, Naroo, and Lajora, along with other villages, were affected by the flood, causing huge losses,” he said. He estimated the loss in Pulwama alone due to floods to be around Rs 250 to 300 crores.
Farmers reported that paddy fields were also destroyed. Abdul Majeed Wani, a farmer from Noorwah Pulwama, shared his experience. “My entire field and orchards were washed away in the floods. The rice fields were completely submerged, and now not a single grain will come out of them.”
“When the floodwater entered, it blocked the aeration of the tree roots. From the second and third day after the flood, the fruit drop was so severe that it is hard to even describe,” Wani recounted.
He added that the loss was visible within days. “I have an orchard on two kanals of land, and in just two days, 40 crates of fruit fell. This is the same situation everywhere. All of us, all the villagers, were in tears seeing this. I alone have suffered a loss of around Rs 7 lakhs, and everyone else is facing the same condition.”
Horticulture is one of the main sectors of the Jammu and Kashmir economy, contributing over eight per cent to the region’s GDP and supporting the livelihood of nearly 35 lakh people. Apple production covers over 3.5 lakh hectares and sustains more than seven lakh families. Disruption during the harvest season affects growers, packers, transporters, and traders across the valley.
Closures of the Jammu and Kashmir National Highway (NH44) left fruit-laden trucks stuck for 10 to 11 days. “The harvesting season was at its peak, and we had loaded vehicles from different mandis and locations, whether Sopore, Pulwama, Shopian, or Jublipora. These vehicles remained stuck for days, which caused significant losses for many fruit growers,” Bhat said.
He added that the trucks stuck were mostly 14-tyre ones loaded with perishable fruits like Gala and Pears. “These trucks stayed there for 10 to 11 days. When we finally got them back, we were told by the administration to shift them into 6-tyre trucks and send them via Mughal Road. Out of the 1,400 fruit boxes we had loaded earlier, only 700 were in selling condition, and even those would not last long,” Bhat said.
He explained that the financial loss was high. “If, under normal circumstances, selling 1,400 boxes would fetch Rs 10 lakhs, we incurred a loss of about Rs 5 lakhs right there. The transportation cost increased significantly, almost doubled. If we usually pay Rs 40,000 to send the produce to Delhi, we had to pay Rs 1.15 lakh via Mughal Road.”
He estimated that losses across the valley may range between Rs 5,000 and 6,000 crores. “If we look at the losses across the entire valley, the estimated damage would be around Rs 5,000 to 6,000 crores, affecting marginal fruit growers, traders, and everyone associated with the sector.”
Bhat requested the administration to keep an alternative route ready during the harvest season. “NH44 via Ramban often remains closed multiple times a year, especially during the fruit season. Although we already have an alternative via Mughal Road, I request that it be properly developed and kept ready for use as a reliable alternative route,” he said.
Growers also pointed to the need for cold storage units and insurance coverage to reduce losses in such situations.
According to official data, Kashmir currently has about 85 cold storage units, but their combined capacity is much lower than the annual production of over 20 lakh metric tonnes of apples.
For now, growers in Pulwama, Shopian, and Baramulla continue to salvage what remains of the season’s harvest while hoping that authorities step in to address the challenge before the next cycle begins.
