In major relief to apple growers and traders in Kashmir, the Railway Ministry has decided to operate special freight trains to transport the valley’s apple harvest to different parts of the country. The move will reduce the sector’s dependence on the sole Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.
If a box costs 100 rupees via road, it’s 15 rupees by train. There will be a difference of 85 rupees per box fare. The horticulture sector contributes around 9 per cent to the Union Territory’s GDP, with apples accounting for a major share of the sector. Around 35 lakh people are estimated to be directly dependent on horticulture in the Kashmir Valley.
Because they can easily send their goods outside in a smooth way, however, if the government wants this to continue, especially during the fruit season, it will become very, very easy for the growers. The box that used to go for 1500, 1600, 1800, or 2000 rupees, due to the road being closed for just two to four days, the exact same box sold for 400. You can imagine how much loss occurs due to landslides. Because small vehicles won’t be arranged here and they will go by train, the cargo train will run, and a box fare will be just twenty rupees, when we don’t get a vehicle here on some days,.
If the government introduced a train or a cargo train for fruits, the people would get a big benefit from it.
Fruit grower Maisar Ahmed Dar said, “A fruit grower said, ‘Sir, last year too, the government had arranged a train, all of which they sent here due to landslides.'” So, the government took that good step, but later they closed it. Fruit grower and exporter Ishtaq Ahmad Mir said, “We will get the maximum benefit from that. The special service is scheduled to begin on September 1st and will continue throughout the apple harvesting season. With the highway remaining disrupted for weeks, the consignments became stranded, leading to significant losses. I don’t know the exact reason why they closed it. So, this year too, the issue of landslides arose. For four to five days the road remained closed, so thousands of vehicles got stranded. If the government takes this step and continuous trains remain—meaning trains come and keep running here—then it is our good fortune. This year, the Railway Ministry has moved to address the problem in advance by allocating special goods trains for the transportation of apples from Kashmir. The service is expected to carry thousands of tons of apples daily to markets in different parts of the country. Apple growers and traders across Kashmir have welcomed the decision, saying dedicated freight services will provide them with an alternative and more reliable mode of transportation, particularly when road connectivity is affected. The vehicle will reach Delhi the same day. Our boxes will reach Delhi for twenty rupees. It’s pure profit, and what other benefits do we need for Kashmir? There will be no road closure tension. The train will leave in the evening and reach early in the morning. That is purely a benefit. The rent will also be less. It will take less time also; goods will arrive on time, and the rate will also arrive on time, which will enhance rates also. It’s a correct decision. We welcome it. We welcome the government’s move. It’s a big deal. Apple cultivation is a key pillar of Jammu and Kashmir’s economy. The apple industry is widely regarded as one of the main economic backbones of Kashmir and provides livelihoods to a large section of the population. Its scale and employment potential also make it a crucial contributor to the Valley’s economy. Timely transportation of fruits, which is essential to prevent post-harvest losses, will now help end the centuries-old losses cycle of Kashmir.
It aims to prevent a repeat of the losses suffered by growers and traders last year, when prolonged disruptions on the national highway left hundreds of trucks stranded and caused damage to apple consignments worth crores of rupees. many growers and traders had already loaded their produce onto trucks bound for markets outside Jammu and Kashmir Although the Railways had made special freight arrangements for apple transportation last year.
