Ziraat Times Team Report
Srinagar: The prolonged supply disruptions of Kashmiri apples due to prolonged highway blockades have created a rare profit windfall for apple growers in Himachal Pradesh, even as orchardists in the Valley warn of devastating economic consequences.
According to a report in The Indian Express, auction prices for premium varieties like Royal Delicious at Bhattakuffer Fruit Market near Shimla have surged by ₹200–₹400 per box, with 20-kg cartons now selling between ₹2,300 and ₹2,400 compared to last season’s ₹1,700–₹1,900. Traders from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Maharashtra are flocking to Himachal’s mandis, bypassing intermediaries to secure supplies amid Kashmir’s logistical paralysis.
“The demand and prices will remain high until the apple supply from Kashmir is restored. Once supply is restored, the prices will automatically normalise,” said Balkrishan Singh, a commission agent at Solan market, quoted in The Indian Express.
Losses mount for Kashmiri orchardists
For Kashmir’s apple growers — who produce around 70% of India’s apples and depend almost entirely on highway connectivity for exports — the disruption could not have come at a worse time. The harvest season, already shortened by erratic rainfall, is being crippled by delays in transporting fruit to outside markets.
Apple union leaders told Ziraat Times that apples meant for mandis in Delhi and Maharashtra are stuck in cold stores or trucks on highways, leading to heavy rotting and distress sales. With Himachal apples already filling the supply gap, Kashmiri growers fear their produce may fetch far lower prices once it finally reaches markets.
Himachal capitalises on Kashmir’s misfortune
The Indian Express reported that Himachal’s markets have already seen an unprecedented inflow of 1.61 crore apple cartons this season till mid-September — an increase of 48 lakh cartons compared to the same period last year.
“Prices of apple varieties, especially Royal Delicious, have surged by around ₹200–₹400 per box,” said Jagmeet Singh, a trader at Bhattakuffer mandi who purchased 90 cartons at ₹2,350 per box.
Growers from Shimla and Theog have acknowledged that the gains are temporary, but have little hesitation in calling it an “opportunity” created by Kashmir’s crisis.
Relief measures in pipeline
The Union Railway Ministry has announced a dedicated daily freight service from Budgam to Delhi’s Adarsh Nagar, with two carriages reserved exclusively for apple consignments. While the measure is expected to ease bottlenecks, Kashmir’s fruit associations say the intervention is too small and comes late in the season.
The bigger picture
For Himachal, the temporary surge has boosted grower incomes and attracted traders in record numbers. “Until September 7, we were receiving barely 30–40 loaded vehicles daily. Since then, nearly 195 vehicles are arriving every day,” a Home Guard official at Bhattakuffer told The Indian Express.
For Kashmir, however, the same situation is translating into potential losses running into hundreds of crores, jeopardising the livelihoods of lakhs of families dependent on apple orchards.
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