Although there is a bumper apple season in Kashmir, growers witness their produce being sold at nearly 30 per cent lower rates than last year. They now have sought government intervention. Kashmir produces about 75 per cent of the total apple crop in the country and is considered the backbone of its economy, contributing about 8.2 per cent to Jammu and Kashmir’s GDP.
“The rates of apple coming from Kashmir this season are down by about 30 per cent compared to 2021, and there is no doubt the growers are suffering huge losses. It is very difficult for them to overcome the losses without government support,” said Chamber of Azadpur Fruit and Vegetable Traders president Metha Ram Kriplani.
Kriplani, who is also a member of the Delhi Agricultural Marketing Board and president of the Kashmir Apple Merchants Association, listed several reasons for this.
“There was a quality bumper crop this season, but the expenses like packaging and transportation charges have almost doubled compared to last year. The rates are directly linked to the supply and demand, and since the supply is more, the product rate is down by about 30 per cent,” he said.
Grower-trader Bashir Ahmad Baba, a resident of Chrar-e-Sharief in central Kashmir’s Budgam district, said hopes of a good return for the produce this season have almost evaporated, and most of the growers and traders were apprehensive of their financial future.
Source: kashmirobserver.net