SRINAGAR: The Railways is planning to transport more apples from Kashmir this season than the nearly 20,000 tonnes moved during the previous season, as authorities prepare an alternative freight network for the Valley’s fruit industry.
Railway officials and the Horticulture Department held a meeting in Srinagar on Friday with fruit growers, traders, Kisan aggregators and business aggregators to finalise arrangements for transporting apples to markets outside Jammu and Kashmir.
The discussions focused on shipments from the Anantnag and Pampore goods sheds and the movement of apples by parcel train from Budgam to Adarsh Nagar in Delhi.
The Railways transported around 20,000 tonnes of apples from Kashmir during the last season through goods trains, parcel vans, BCN wagons and the JPP-RCS parcel train service. The railway movement became particularly important when disruptions on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway affected road transportation.
For the 2026 season, the Directorate of Horticulture has been asked to provide the Railways with estimates of the expected apple production requiring rail transportation within a week. The information will allow the Railways to plan parcel-van rakes and BCN wagons in advance.
Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Jammu, Uchit Singhal said the objective this year was to move a larger quantity of apples by rail than last year.
Railway officials also urged traders and aggregators to submit their indents in advance, including through the online system, so that consignments can be incorporated into scheduled routes and the required parcel rakes or wagons arranged.
The meeting also brought industry concerns to the Railways, with Bashir Ahmad Bashir, president of the All Valley Fruit Growers and Traders Association, raising issues faced by growers and traders in using rail services for transporting apples.
The greater use of rail freight could give Kashmir’s apple industry an additional transportation option at a time when road movement remains vulnerable to highway closures, landslides and adverse weather.
The meeting was attended by officials of the Jammu Division, including the Assistant Commercial Manager and Assistant Operations Manager, besides officials of the Horticulture Department and representatives of the fruit trade.
