Umaisar Gull Ganie
Srinagar, Sep 17: Amid the prolonged closure of Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, the authorities on Wednesday said that around 2,000 tonnes of apples have been transported to outside mandis through railway from the Valley so far this season.
An official told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that since past week, 1,25,376 apple boxes have been dispatched by train, mostly to Delhi.
“From Anantnag Railway Station, 87,137 boxes were dispatched, while 38,239 boxes were transported from Budgam Railway Station,” he said.
Chief Area Manager Kashmir, Northern Railways, Saqib Yousuf told KNO that from Anantnag, 350 tonnes, 650 tonnes and 376 tonnes of apples were already loaded and dispatched in separate consignments. “From Budgam around 600 tonnes have also been dispatched,” he said.
Pertinently, Kashmir produces over 70 per cent of India’s apples, with last year’s harvest recorded at 20.4 lakh metric tonnes.
However, the industry continues to remain at the mercy of the Srinagar-Jammu highway, which often faces frequent closures.
Last month, the heavy rains and landslides choked the highway for nearly two weeks, leaving truckloads of apples worth hundreds of crores stranded on the road, officials said—(KNO)
