With the apple harvest season at its peak, the Jammu and Kashmir government has deployed a fleet of Jammu and Kashmir Road Transport Corporation (JKRTC) trucks to move consignments from the Valley to markets across India. Minister for Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, IT, Transport, Youth Services and Sports, Satish Sharma, flagged off a convoy of fruit-laden JKRTC trucks.
RTO Kashmir Qazi Irfan, General Managers of JKRTC, and other senior officers were present at the ceremony.
Sharma said horticulture is the backbone of the Union Territory's economy and provides livelihoods to thousands of families. He added that the timely dispatch of apples and other fruit is important to secure competitive prices for growers and maintain the brand value of Kashmir produce in national markets.
"The government is fully committed to supporting our farmers and traders so that their hard work is rewarded. JKRTC and the Transport Department, in close coordination with other agencies, are ensuring hassle-free movement of trucks, reducing travel delays, and safeguarding perishable produce from losses," Sharma said.
He added that the deployment of additional trucks is being monitored in real time to meet growing demand from mandis in Shopian, Anantnag, Sopore, and Pulwama. Traffic management on highways and feeder routes is also being streamlined to allow uninterrupted transport of consignments to other states.
Sharma reassured growers and traders that the government will extend support to make the fruit season successful for the horticulture sector. "Our priority is to see that the farmers' produce reaches markets in time, without exploitation, and that Kashmir's fruit continues to command respect in national markets," he said.
So far, 158 JKRTC trucks, including trawlers, have been deployed in major mandis across South and North Kashmir for transporting produce to other states. The initiative follows the government's policy of providing transport support to growers and is being carried out under the direction of the Chief Minister, who has called for maximum facilitation during the peak harvest period.
Source: Greater Kashmir