Apple growers and traders in Kashmir are worried about a significant decrease in fruit prices over recent weeks. They report that while apples previously fetched good returns, rates have now dipped with around 10% of the produce still to reach mandis from cold storages. A-grade apples, which were sold for over Rs 1300 in the last quarter of the previous year, are now being sold for around Rs 900-1000. B-grade apples have also seen a decline of around Rs 200 per box.
Growers attribute this decline to the continuous import of apples from other countries. Traders who have stored their produce in CA stores are expected to face more losses if rates do not rise in the coming weeks. The President of the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Cum Dealers Union (KVFGCDU), Basheer Ahmad, pointed out that low-quality fruit due to frozen conditions is fetching lower prices. “There has been an impact of imports from other countries along with cold weather conditions in the country as most people avoid apples in the cold season. The rates have declined by around 30 percent.”
It's worth noting that approximately 300,000 tons of apples are stored in CA storages across Kashmir, a region that produces over 2 million tons of apples annually, a figure that sometimes reaches 2.5 million tons. The 2017 economic survey in JK revealed that half of Kashmir’s population is directly or indirectly dependent on the apple industry, with over 350,000 hectares dedicated to apple cultivation.
[ Rs 100 = €1.10 ]
Source: kashmirlife.net