As losses and debts mount, Kashmir’s apple farmers close Mandis, explore other options

25 September 2022

Follow Ziraat Times on Whatsapp - Join Now

A view of Sopore Fruit Mandi. Story profile cartoon courtesy: Bashir Ahmed Bashir (Srinagar Times)

Srinagar, Sept 25: About 4 million apple farmers of Kashmir are today in a desperate state like never before. As thousands of apple trucks continue to be stopped for days on Srinagar-Jammu National Highway for reasons which, to farmers, remain a mystery, farmers are today openly talking about suicide and other desperate actions.

As this report was being filed on Sunday, at least 10 major Fruit Mandis of Kashmir region, trading apples for thousands of crores in this season, remain closed for Sunday and Monday as a mark of protest. At the moment, the farmers and traders are faced with one particularly difficult situation – hundreds of apple-laden trucks moving towards Jammu and Delhi on a daily basis are being stopped on the highway near Qazigund tunnel by traffic and security agencies managing the highway traffic, resulting in loss of fruit and contract promises with Mandis in other parts of the country.

“The problem is that these are not ordinary halts of a few minutes or an hour or two, our fruit trucks are being halted for days altogether, making fruit to rot and lose their sale contracts in the Mandis”, said Bashir Ahmed Basheer, President Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers and Dealers Association.

Every truck stopped and fruit or sale contract lost means a family is losing their livelihood for entire one year. Many families who have taken loans to grow their crop of the year instantly move into a debt trap.

“Even as J&K’s administration has lately issued advisories and instructions to Traffic Department to ensure smooth flow of trucks on the highway, there is no implementation on the ground”, Fayaz Ahmed Kakaji, President of Sopore Fruit Mandi told Ziraat Times.

So desperate is the situation that Mandi Presidents have been camping in and around Qazigund themselves to oversee the status of the movement of their trucks for the last few days.

While officials maintain that they are doing everything possible to mitigate the situation, practically things don’t seem to work on the ground.

“Nothing is working. At a time when we should have been at our mandis helping farmers and traders we are begging on roads to make way for our trucks. This has never happened before”, said President of Shopian Fruit Mandi.

“We wonder what is the reason for only apple trucks being singled out. We see hundreds of trucks with all kinds of goods coming from the Jammu side for consumption in Kashmir plying normally on the highway. We want someone to explain this situation to us. We are tax payers”, said Kulgam Fruit Mandi President.

In the last couple of days, Kashmir has witnessed farmers dropping off their crops from their trees and making them go waste. Desperate traders have unloaded apple boxes on the roads. Multiple pictures have emerged on social media showing rotten fruit reaching mandis in Delhi. All this has never been seen in Kashmir. And the situation is getting even more desperate.

“We were told by a few authorities that they have issued instructions to Traffic and security authorities to allow trucks carrying perishable goods on priority. Then we are told that apples do not fall in perishable apples category. For God’s sake, what has happened to our common sense. Apples are indeed perishable.”, Muhammad Ramzan, a farmer who emptied several of his apples on a road near Qazigund told Ziraat Times.

Apple grower and trader association of Kashmir now says they will continue the protest until the issue is resolved.

“Apple farmers are on the brink of starvation. Every fruit truck destroyed means a family going into poverty. Farmers have taken loans. Who will compensate them for this loss? Trust me, farmers and traders are facing immense stress and even heightened blood pressure”, said Bashir Ahmed Basheer.

A few industry old hands and experts, on the other hand, express skepticism whether this mode of protest of closing mandis is going to help.

“Now that nothing is working at J&K level, ideally, apple farmers and traders should escalate the matter to the capital Delhi. They should hold a joint press conference in Delhi along with Azadpur Fruit Mandi office bearers, and even hold a fast at a prominent place in the capital to invite media and political attention to their situation. These suffering farmers are citizens of the same country, they pay taxes, therefore, they have a right to make their voice being heard in a peaceful and dignified manner”, said Abdul Gaffar Khan, a senior trade unionist.

As this situation is unfolding, pressure in mounting on J&K administration for practical measures to save Kashmir’s multi thousand crore apple industry from ruin.