Since the last few years, during the months of September-October, Kashmir has been grumbling with stories of how apple growers and traders are suffering at the hands of authorities as apple-laden trucks are being made to wait long. This year again the story is back, recently. Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti questioned the reported stoppage of trucks carrying Kashmiri apples at Qazigund. Apart from politicians, apple traders have also spoken publicly about the matter. A narrative that is being subtly pushed by some of these traders and politicians is that “there is a conspiracy by the Centre to arrest the popularity of Kashmiri apple, and thereby dent Kashmir economically.” The narrative is surviving and doing good in Kashmir, primarily because of the large appetite in Kashmir for conspiracy theories painting Delhi as villain.
On studying the issue by analysing opinions of various stakeholders, a completely different picture evolves. Firstly, let’s focus on a new variety of apple called ‘High Density’. Since the last few years this variety is being experimented in Kashmir. This hybrid apple offers full potential produce from the third year onwards. Further, high-density apple have produced way beyond the expectations of the growers.
One apple grower said, “Produce from high-density apple orchards is at least three times that of similar-sized orchards of other variety.” This new variety came early, by the first week of September, and has provided handsome profit to the growers. However, for apple traders (middlemen) this has created a situation of surplus supply.
Another factor is high temperature and lack of rain in the Valley floor. Due to this factor, traditional varieties of apples started ripening sooner. Apples collected from the ground after falling from trees are categorised as “C Grade” and fetch very less money. Therefore, growers started plucking their apples as soon they gained the desired reddish shade, days before their anticipated time of harvest. This batch of apples, over and above the huge produce of ‘high density apples’, made the supply much more than the demand. This made growers sell apples at much lower prices to middlemen.
Coming to the road blockade, due to rains, land sliding and shooting stones, portions of NH 44 between Banihal and Udhampur sometimes become in a state of disuse for a couple of days. This blockade, due to nature’s fury, and authorities had no control over it. Despite best efforts, the restoration of the highway through such fragile mountains sometimes take few days. On opening of the highway, a number of vehicles get trapped, with passengers waiting to cross over. This further increases the waiting time for apple-laden trucks sometimes. But accusing authorities of doing it deliberately is very unfair and seems vested interest driven.
Now, the aspect of Kashmiri middlemen. Many of these big traders are also owners of cold storage, a scarce infrastructure in Kashmir. These middlemen try to buy apples at the lowest price and sell at the highest price to gain maximum profit. So, they very carefully choose the buying and selling time. Some growers even find these traders capable of creating artificial panic by spreading rumours of road blockade to bring the growers to sell their produce at much cheaper prices.
The scarcely available infrastructure, cold storage, is the next aspect. During Mufti Syed’s term as CM, many reforms were brought in for the horticulture sector. Subsidy for cold-storages was one of them. Many influential personalities had subsequently availed the subsidy to construct cold-storage. Few are even suspected to have availed the subsidy without construction of any cold-storage. The total volume of cold-storage available is much below the demand. To top it up, there is huge mismanagement at such cold-storage facilities. To one’s surprise, there are few storages with limited or no air-conditioning facilities. Many of the owners and the managers of these storages behave like feudals. At the time of crisis, instead of helping apple growers or small traders, they mostly increase their storage charges. The loading and unloading speed at these storages is generally way slow, keeping in view the need. All of these cause extra long queues of apple-laden trucks outside each such cold-storage. Some suggest this further creates opportunities for the cold-storage owners to buy the apples from the waiting trucks at relatively cheaper prices and store the same in their own storage for a suitable time of sale. Apart from financial losses to the smaller traders, such mismanagement at cold-storages also leads to serious road traffic violations. Kashmiri businessmen and rich apple growers must realise that there is a serious need to establish more cold-storages and make their services more affordable.
Let’s talk about fruit processing units in Kashmir. Unlike Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra, the business community in Kashmir has not invested much in fruit processing units in Kashmir. As a result, there are very few of them functional in Kashmir valley. Therefore, transportation blockade still remains a singular point of failure to the massive horticulture economy. With a modern insurance system, it is quite feasible to insure each truckload of apple moving towards Delhi, suitably including the clauses of perishing due to road blockade. The leaders of various apple growers or traders associations need to come up with suitable win-win insurance policies in this regard.
Finally, let’s discuss the Himachal angle. Himachal was badly affected by rain, cloudburst and landslides previously. All forms of transportation and communication were badly affected. The losses were much worse than those in Kashmir. And, no such conspiracy theory came out of Himachal.
In a significant move aimed at facilitating the economical and hassle-free transportation of horticulture produce, particularly apples, to various mandis and destinations, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Anshul Garg recently urged fruit growers, traders and other stakeholders to make greater use of railway goods and freight services. Garg stressed that railway transportation should be increasingly utilised for long-distance destinations, as it can provide a cost-effective and efficient alternative for transporting large quantities of horticulture produce.
This is a crucial moment for apple growers and farmers to break free from the grip of the cold storage and truck owner nexus that has held Kashmir’s horticulture economy hostage for decades. It is time to see through the convenient narratives being peddled by this powerful lobby. The very same traders who spread rumours of road blockades, who create artificial scarcity, who charge exorbitant storage fees, and who exploit the desperation of growers are now hiding behind a manufactured “Delhi conspiracy” to deflect attention from their own predatory practices.
The railway freight service offers a genuine, long-term solution that bypasses this nexus entirely. By utilising rail transport, growers can avoid the unpredictable delays on the National Highway, bypass the cold storage cartel that dictates terms to small traders, access wider markets without being at the mercy of middlemen, and save significantly on transportation costs for bulk consignments
The administration has shown its willingness to facilitate this transition. Now it is up to the farming community to seize this opportunity. The cold storage and truck owner lobby, backed by some political leaders, will soon start painting a very different picture, one that protects their interests at the cost of the common grower. They will call this transition “impractical,” “unviable,” or “another Delhi plot.” Do not be swayed. The real conspiracy is not in Delhi, it is in the feudal, exploitative practices of a few powerful middlemen within Kashmir who profit from the misery of growers. The railway is your way out. Use it.
The theory of the so-called “apple conspiracy” is another eye-opener for common Kashmiris to get over the Delhi-bashing syndrome and look within for shortcomings with an intent to bring in progressive change to the region. It’s time to introspect such conspiracy theories based on ground realities and look at them without any historical, regional or political biases.
May the blind appetite in Kashmir for conspiracy theories shrink for good, and may the growers find their true freedom from exploitation through informed choices and collective action.
