Jahangeer Ganaie
Srinagar, Oct 7: The sluggish demand for apples has resulted in the early filling of cold storage units across Kashmir, with growers lamenting that they are facing one of the toughest seasons in years due to weak market response, logistical challenges, and unseasonal fruit drop.
The growers said that with low demand for apples across major markets in India, they were forced to store their produce early. However, within just 15 days, most cold storage units in South and North Kashmir have reached nearly full capacity — well before the region’s traditional peak season.
“Usually, cold storages start filling in October and it was ending in November as well and peak was remaining around 20 October bwhen the harvest reaches its peak, but this year everything happened early,” said Ghulam Nabi Dar, an apple grower from Shopian. “Due to heavy fruit fall and poor demand, people started picking apples in advance to save what they could. But the highway closure for almost a month made things worse — our fruit couldn’t reach outside markets, and demand dropped sharply.”
According to growers, the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway during crucial days of transportation not only delayed shipments but also discouraged traders from placing new orders. Many orchardists, fearing losses, rushed to book cold storage units in September itself — much earlier than usual and even hundreds of growers didn’t get any space.
“Bookings were full even before the season started,” said Abdul Rashid Bhat, a grower from Kulgam. “We had no choice but to store our produce, but the rush was unimaginable. Our apples remained in vehicles for more than 24 hours waiting to be unloaded at storage units.”
Cold storage owners admitted that they were overwhelmed by the unprecedented rush this year. “We tried to accommodate as many growers as possible, even by optimizing space and adjusting batch timings,” said Manzoor Ahmad, owner of a cold storage unit in Lassipora, Pulwama. “But we cannot go beyond our capacity — if we overload, the temperature control system will fail and it could damage the stored produce.”
He added that as of now, over 90 percent of cold storage space in the Valley has already been occupied, and the remaining will likely be filled within the next two to three days.
Industry observers said that early filling of cold storages indicates a worrying trend for the apple economy of Kashmir, which has already been hit by falling prices and rising transportation and packaging costs.
“Farmers who haven’t got any space are forced to sell apples at throwaway prices as they can’t wait more in the hope of a better market ,” said Bashir Ahmad another fruit grower
“The government must step in to stabilize the situation by facilitating market linkages and ensuring smooth transport on the highway.”
“Apple is our backbone,” “If this continues, thousands of families depending on this industry will be pushed to financial distress.” they said.
