Syed Muskan
“Once this was the most awaited product of the year and this year our apples are going in the waste bins in Delhi’s Azadpur Mandi. The Government has left the sector unattended. They just want to establish new businesses here leaving the largest horticulture industry in perils,” said an apple farmer protesting with other fruit growers on the Qazigund National Highway. Before being allowed to move hassle-free, the trucks were halted for several days on the Highway causing heavy losses.
The farmers say that they were assured by LG admin that their fruit-laden trucks would be allowed to move without hassle but their trucks were stranded. for several days, leading to the rotting of the crop.
Reports suggested that more than 8000 trucks carrying Kashmiri apples to various markets in India were not allowed to move forward on the highway. This halt has led to triggered panic among the farmers. The fruit mandi in Sopore- one of the largest fruit Mandi in Kashmir met losses worth 500 crore rupees in September alone.
This particular industry is the backbone of the region’s economy. Over three million people are directly or indirectly involved in the sector.
This industry also contributes 8% to the total gross domestic product (GDP) of the valley and provides 8.73 crore person-days of work from 2019. The industry has been battling with situations like lockdown due to the Abrogation of Article 370, COVID 19, and the allowance of Iranian apples into the trade market without any charges.
“The expected life span of apples is 12 days and our apple boxes remained at a halt in the trucks, they rot and a handful of boxes that reached the market did not get the expected prices”, said Meer Irfan, an apple farmer from Shopian
The President of Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Cum Dealers Union (KVFGCDU) Bashir Ahmad said that it is a matter of livelihood for around 60-70 percent of the population of Kashmir and the government must take it seriously.
Tracing The Years
In 2019, the losses in the industry were mounting as the region was under lockdown and the climate change resulting in early snowfall halted the harvest. In 2017, the Apple trade was worth 1.6 billion dollars, which accounted for providing livelihood to 3.3 million people but in 2019, the apples harvested which had left the region by October 6 were less than 10%. The authorities had set up four wholesale markets to help apple growers but as per the reports, only 7,940 metric tonnes which are less than 1% were procured by the government. A report by Associated Press, called it (2019), “a silent war declared on their stomachs”
2019, however, was not the only year that saw the downfall of Kashmiri apple industry.
Early snowfall in November 2020 also devastated the apple orchards and this led to unprecedented crises in the valley as according to official reports 30 to 35 percent of apples were destroyed. The orchids were damaged as the trees were also uprooted because of the heavy weight of the snow. Even the vehicles carrying the apples were stuck due to under construction of roads and landslides.
The pandemic also hit the industry as the growers who had their products in cold storage had no buyers.
Meer, while recalling the losses he met during this period said, “We have been under these uncertain situations from 2019 now. We are a family of eight members and Apple farming is our main source of income. Back in 2019, when the COVID-19 outbreak happened, we couldn’t sell our produce, and even if some were able to, the rates were not more than 400-500, which is very less. This loss took, even more, turns in 2020 when unemployment, early snowfall, and COVID-19 were simultaneously deteriorating the situation of the market.
Due to the early snowfall, we met losses and the Government announced compensation for the farmers to bear the loss but only 200 to 300 rupees were given, which was not enough to sustain the situation. In 2021, the rates were good, thankfully, but then in 2022, the Iranian apples entered the market and halted the business again. These days, Iranian apples are sold in name of Kashmiri apples,” said Irfan Meer, a resident of Shopian
The concerns of Meer are like many other farmers and especially the Fruit Mandis whose fruit-laden trucks were stuck on the National Highway for several days.
Iranian Trade
In 2021, the illegal import of Iranian apples into the Indian market led to huge losses for apple growers of the valley. The apples enter India by crossing the borders of Afghanistan due to which they become import charges free. The texture and colour of the Iranian apples resemble closely to those of the Kashmiri which adds to the losses of the Kashmiri growers.
In a report published by the news click in January 2022, there has been a decline in the prices of apples by 50%.
Data revealed that 1947.19 tonnes of Iranian apples valued at 1.82 million USD entered the Indian market from April 2021 to January 2022.
Many Farmers while speaking to The Kashmiriyat requested the government to intervene in the import of Iranian apples into the market.
While these concerns remain intact with the farmers, the halting of the trucks on roads added to their miseries.
Mehbooba Mufti, the former chief minister of JK also reached Aglar Shopian and joined the apple farmers protesting for the third consecutive day against the halting of their trucks on the Srinagar-Jammu highway which has led to the rotting of the apples
“You have turned Kashmir into an open prison, pulverized our economy. I warn the administration if they don’t immediately open the roads for trucks, I along with our workers will sit on a protest,” the PDP President said.
The JK admin should know lakhs of people in Kashmir are dependent on the apple industry. The farmers have taken loans and have to pay that back. Will the admin pay for the losses the farmers have incurred? She asked
Asking the admin to stop testing the patience of Kashmiris, Mehbooba Mufti said, “The JK admin on one hand is allowing the convoy to ploy smoothly on the streets, and on the other, vehicles carrying our precious fruit are being stopped. If such tactics to punish Kashmiris will not be stopped. I will be forced to sit on the highway during a protest
" You have turned Kashmir into an open jail,pulverized our economy. I warn the administration if they don't immediately open the roads for trucks, I alongwith our workers will sit on a protest," PDP Prez, @MehboobaMufti in solidarity with protesting fruit growers at Aglar Shopian pic.twitter.com/HCMfu4DK92
— J&K PDP (@jkpdp) September 27, 2022
The Government’s response on halting of trucks
Following strong criticism, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Traffic, Vikramjit Singh directed all the SSPs of traffic to take necessary measures to ensure smooth passage to the fruit-laden trucks.
These directions were passed days after the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Cum Dealers Union (KVFGCDU) staged protests in all Fruit Mandi’s of the Valley against what they termed as the deliberate stoppage of apple and pear loaded trucks on various spots of Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.
After a detailed discussion with apple traders, the IGP Traffic directed all SSPs of traffic including SSP National Highway to take immediate necessary measures so that fruit-laden trucks are provided a smooth passage and are not stranded. “Besides, extra time may be given to down convoy to ensure clearance of stranded fruit-laden vehicles and it was assured no vehicle would be allowed for up traffic on down HMV days to ensure hassle-free movement.”
To ensure full transparency, IGP Traffic asked the Horticulture department and Horticulture associations to depute their representative with Traffic officials at Banihal and Qazigund for ensuring smooth movement of fruit trucks.
The matter of decongesting at Ramban and Banihal market was taken up with DC Ramban, who was kind enough to issue the orders without any delay for removal of encroachments and declaring Banihal market (main congestion point as no parking zone) so that vehicle traffic movement could be facilitated, the statement said.
Farmers demand ‘Minimum Support Price’ (MSP)
The leaders of Kisan Tehreek Jammu Kashmir, at the forefront of farming-related issues in Jammu Kashmir, have been demanding MSP or a similar policy for the apple industry in Kashmir.
Zahoor Ahmed, the district president of Kisan Tehreek Jammu Kashmir from south Kashmir’s Kulgam district spoke to The Kashmiriyat and said that despite apple being the bumper crop from the Kashmir valley, the government has failed to take any initiative to prevent the farmers from dumping their produce due to reduced rates and halting of trucks.
“I met several farmers who sold their product for less than rupees 350 while the cost of production surpasses 400 rupees. Several farmers were forced to dump their product due to the reduced rates and many have even gone on to bulldoze the apple trees. It is a chaotic situation everywhere. We hear the news of farmer suicides in India every day. But if Government continues to neglect the farming sector in Jammu Kashmir, the time is not farm, when such tragedy would hit Kashmir,” Zahoor said. He said that the raw material for packing, medicinal products, and cost of transportation has also increased drastically, however, the rates of apples have gone down
The Government has imposed MSP in several states, however, no such initiative has been taken up in Kashmir. Furthermore, the crop insurance policy was agreed upon by the Government but has failed to surround the huge production of apples, he said.
Talking about apple production, 85% of the production goes to the Indian markets. “Less than five per cent of our apples are consumed in Kashmir,” he said, adding that, there was no alternative market for the local apples.”Our vehicles were allowed to cross the tunnel (connecting Kashmir division with Jammu) for four hours for Kashmiri but the transporters from outside Kashmir are allowed 24 hours, how is that even just?” Zahoor asked.
Around 5000 to 6000 trucks were halted on roads which worsened the situation for farmers. Zahoor said that farming has been the only source of income for farmers to survive their needs in the tough times of Jammu Kashmir.