Tension is rising in the orchards of South Kashmir, where the once-promising apple harvest is now at risk of rotting on the roadside. The Fruit Association Shopian has raised an urgent plea to the authorities over repeated halts and restrictions imposed on fruit-laden trucks along the crucial Mughal Road, the only viable route at the moment for transporting apples out of the valley.
At a press conference held Thursday, members of the association expressed grave concerns about the economic damage being inflicted on the region’s fruit industry. Their voices echoed frustration, helplessness, and an impending sense of loss.
“Our apples are perishing. Our patience is wearing thin,” said Mohammad Ashraf, President of Fruit Mandi Shopian. He criticized the authorities for allowing only six-tyre trucks to ply for just a few hours a day, while other goods carriers like oil tankers and poultry vehicles move freely.
On Thursday alone, barely 150 trucks were permitted to move—an insignificant number compared to the thousands currently stranded. With every passing hour, the fruits inside those trucks inch closer to spoilage, and so do the dreams of thousands of families who depend on the trade.
“We receive traffic advisories too late. While trucks from Poonch move all day, we from Shopian are barely given a window. It feels like discrimination,” Ashraf said.
To make matters worse, traffic police allegedly failed to follow their own advisories, leading to chaos, anger, and desperation among truckers. Many staged a protest near the Circuit House Shopian, demanding transparency and uninterrupted movement of fruit-carrying trucks.
“The advisory said we’ll be allowed, but we’ve been standing here for days,” one agitated trucker lamented. “If the fruit rots, who will pay for our losses?”
The situation isn’t new. Every harvest season, fruit growers face similar logistical nightmares—bureaucratic red tape, unclear communication, and road closures—turning a time of celebration into a season of anxiety.
A local grower from Shopian put it bluntly:
“This isn’t just about apples. It’s about survival. Apple cultivation sustains Kashmir’s economy, feeds lakhs of families, and keeps hope alive in our villages. This crisis is not just administrative—it’s deeply human.”
The Fruit Association has made an earnest appeal to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, urging them to intervene immediately. They are requesting that if restrictions must stay, at least six-tyre trucks should be allowed full-day access on alternate days to minimize losses.
In the End, It’s Not Just About a Road.
It’s about the lives that move along it—the father who borrowed money for pesticides, the young man who skipped migrating for work to harvest apples with his family, the mother praying her children’s school fees will be paid from this year’s yield.
Kashmir’s apple isn’t just a fruit—it’s a legacy. A lifeline. A story of resilience. Let it not rot on the roadside.
