Continuous closure of the Srinagar-Jammu Highway has led to sharp increases in fruit and vegetable prices in Kashmir markets, with consumers accusing traders of profiteering in the absence of regulatory checks. For several days, the only all-weather road link between Kashmir and the rest of India has remained closed due to landslides and heavy rain, choking supplies of essentials and allowing traders to sell at higher rates.
In Srinagar and surrounding districts, a tray of eggs that cost US$2.03 earlier in the week is now being sold for US$2.63. Tomatoes have risen from US$0.60 per kilogram to US$0.96, while apples and bananas have also recorded increases. "We are being looted in broad daylight. Traders are minting money on the pretext of highway closure, but where are the officials who are supposed to regulate the market?" asked Muhammad Ashraf, a resident of downtown Srinagar. Shopkeepers said they were paying higher rates to wholesalers and had no choice but to pass on the costs.
Farmers are reporting losses as trucks carrying apples and pears are stuck crossing the Pir Panjal mountains into Jammu. Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti urged the Union government to arrange freight trains between Srinagar and Delhi to transport perishable fruit, warning that produce was beginning to rot in local markets and in trucks stranded along the route. Kashmir's horticulture sector generates about US$2.4 billion annually and supports around seven million people, according to the horticulture department.
September is peak harvest season for orchardists, and nearly 400 trucks of apples and pears normally cross the Qazigund tunnel daily. Basheer Ahmad Basheer, president of the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Cum Dealers Union, said pears were the worst affected as delays left many loads unsellable. "Rotten pears are reaching the markets now as trucks are getting stranded for several days. Pears are the worst-hit. Many truckers had to discard the fruits even before they reached their destinations," he said.
Fayaz Ahmed Malik, president of Sopore Fruit Mandi, estimated farmer losses at around US$24 million if truck movements are not streamlined. He called for fruit-laden heavy trucks to be allowed to use the Mughal Road, an alternative but narrow route over the Pir Panjal mountains, to exit the valley.
Meanwhile, authorities report that record rains since early August have swollen rivers, raised flood risks, and damaged multiple highways, including the Srinagar-Jammu Highway and Mughal Road. Repairs to NH-44 are expected to take more than three weeks, delaying the movement of fruit trucks at the height of the harvest season.
Source 1: Greater Kashmir
Source 2: The Wire