Kashmiri apples are popular all over the globe. They are pleasantly sweet and full of essential nutrients. But now, Kashmiri apples worth around $12 million ( approximately ₹9.81 crores) are on the verge of rotting due to repair works on the Kashmir Highway. Trucks carrying these apples have been stranded on the highway for over six days now.
The head of Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers and Dealers Union, Bashir Ahmad Basheer, told Reuters that nearly 80,000 trucks containing Kashmiri apples worth ₹100 crores are stuck on the highway.
Farmers In Kashmir Are Heavily Dependent On Cultivation Of Apples
Apart from tourism, a major part of the Kashmiri population is dependent on fruit cultivation. The spoilage of these apples due to the construction works can pose massive challenges to these fruit cultivators and sellers. Citing the alarming issue, Qazi Shibli, Journalist and Editor of The Kashmiriyat, wrote on Twitter that this is the ‘latest blow to Kashmir’s largest economy’.
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Farmers Protested Against Ineffective Traffic Management
Apple cultivation is an important source of income for a large number of Kashmiri families. Thus, farmers even protested against the ineffective traffic management system for halting their trucks for days. It is delaying the transport of apples to the rest of India. This, in turn, is severely impacting their businesses pushing them to the mouth of unfathomable losses. Also, since apples are perishable, they might not be in edible condition by the time they reach the other cities.
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Food Wastage Is An Alarming Issue In India
According to a report by the international media organisation Tasting Table, over 40% of the food produced in India is wasted due to various reasons. It went on to explain that the statistic corresponds to almost 50 kg of food per person amid India’s enormous population of 1.38 billion. Also, a previous report had revealed that food worth ₹92,000 crores in Indian households goes to the bin every year. The apple issue in Kashmir is yet another example of India’s food wastage.
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