Kashmir’s Apple Sector Faces Crisis as Storage Units Overfill

SRINAGAR: Apple growers and transporters in Kashmir are facing long delays at cold storage facilities, as limited capacity, understaffing, and low market demand have left the system under severe strain.

Farmers said they are being forced to wait for hours, sometimes an entire day, to unload their produce. “We reach the cold storage units early in the morning, but the unloading takes hours. There are not enough workers to manage the load,” said Abdul Rashid, an orchardist from Shopian.

Truck drivers transporting the produce shared similar concerns. “When a truck remains stranded for a whole day at a unit, it not only wastes time but also costs us more in terms of fuel and daily charges,” said Manzoor Ahmad, a driver from Pulwama.

Cold storage managers acknowledged the problem, pointing to an unprecedented inflow of apples this season. “Growers are unable to sell their produce outside due to very low demand. Within just 15 days, nearly 60 per cent of storage space has been occupied, and the remaining capacity will soon be exhausted,” said a manager at Lassipora.

Kashmir produces around 22,000–25,000 lakh metric tonnes of horticulture produce annually, but the valley’s cold storage facilities can accommodate only about 3,000 lakh metric tonnes. The mismatch has left thousands of orchardists with limited options.

“This is a season of crisis. If the government really wants to save the horticulture sector, it must expand cold storage capacity urgently and deploy more manpower at existing units,” said Ghulam Nabi, an orchardist.

Experts say the rush reflects both a positive trend in post-harvest management and a warning about systemic vulnerabilities. With harvesting still under way, stakeholders fear that storage demand will soon outstrip availability, forcing growers to sell their produce at distress prices. (KNO)