Kashmir’s apple harvesting season was meant to bring hope after months of weather-related setbacks in the region. But, for thousands of fruit growers in the valley, it has become a period of despair, with trucks laden with fresh produce stranded for days and debt steadily mounting as the valley’s only all-weather road link remains prone to unpredictable closures.With the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway repeatedly shut due to torrential rains, landslides and shooting stones, Kashmir’s Rs 12,000-crore horticulture industry is staring at losses. The highway’s traffic disruption has become a major hurdle, with tonnes of apples, pears and plums unable to reach markets across India and abroad on time at the peak of the harvesting season.For orchardist Abdul Rashid from Shopian, the crisis is more than a number. “It disappoints when there is news of road closure. It gives me sleepless nights as I have borrowed money for fertilisers and packaging, hoping to recover it from sales. Every year we face a similar problem,” he told The Wire.His story echoes that of the valley, where apple growers say weeks of uncertainty wipe out an entire season’s earnings. By the time food-laden trucks are allowed to ply on the road, much of the produce is spoiled.“We wait day and night, hoping the road would open, but no one cares about poor farmers. And when the fruits spoil no one compensate us,” Abdul Majeed, a grower from South Kashmir’s Pulwama, told The Wire.Passengers and workers join hands to push a mini-truck stuck in the mud following a landslide on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway near Sarmoli. Photo: Junaid Dar.A lifeline cut offThe 270-km-long Jammu-Srinagar National Highway is the valley’s only all-weather surface link to the rest of the country. Every year, it becomes the economic artery through which Kashmir’s produce reaches wholesale markets in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bengaluru and Chennai.Around 100 to 125 trucks loaded with apples, pears and plums leave the valley every day, a number expected to rise sharply as harvesting gathers pace. But growers say the highway has become a bottleneck.Although the administration had assured smooth passage for vehicles carrying perishable produce, many trucks remained stranded for days as road maintenance and disruptions caused by landslides slowed movement.Unlike ordinary cargo, early-season produces such as gala apples and pears (babugoshas) have a short shelf life. Every additional day on the highway reduces both their quality and their market value.Rural economy under strainThe crisis has struck at the heart of Kashmir’s rural economy.Horticulture sector supports more than 7,00,000 families in Jammu and Kashmir directly or indirectly. For several small orchardists, the apple harvest represents their only significant annual income, which is used to repay bank loans, finance children’s education and meet household expenses.“Every year, we are told that the government is working on alternatives, but when such crises hit, government disappears. Our entire economy is crumbling. If this continues, the horticulture sector, which supports lakhs of families, will collapse,” said Sajad Ahmad, a trader at the fruit market in Pulwama.Many growers point out that this year’s losses come after severe hailstorms and strong winds in April and May had already damaged orchards, leaving farmers with reduced yields even before the transportation crisis began.A traffic cop and stranded passengers inspect the affected stretch of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway near Sarmoli following a landslide. Photo: Junaid Dar.Demand for a green corridorPresident of Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers-cum-Dealers Union (KVFGDU), Bashir Ahmad Basheer, said the repeated disruptions on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway have become a recurring nightmare for the region’s horticulture industry.KVFGDU has urged MPs from Jammu and Kashmir to raise the issue in the parliament, describing the highway as the “lifeline” of the valley’s livelihood.In a letter, the union said fruit trucks, that once reached markets within a day, require at least four days, severely affecting the quality of highly perishable produce. It argued that while transporters have been advised to use the Mughal Road whenever NH-44 is disrupted, the alternate route is unsuitable for heavy fruit-laden trucks.KVFGDU has sought immediate repairs to the highway, the restoration of two-way traffic and better coordination among highway authorities, traffic police and administration to ensure uninterrupted movement during the harvest season.Kashmir Trade Alliance (KTA) president Aijaz Ahmad Shahdhar has also warned that traders and transporters are incurring heavy financial losses as trucks remain stranded for hours and sometimes days.The disruptions have also triggered political criticism.Chief minister Omar Abdullah, facing mounting pressure from opposition parties, traders and growers, said on Friday (August 7) that facilitating the movement of fruit trucks and other agricultural produce was a priority, acknowledging that prolonged disruptions directly impact the wider economy.Adding to the growing chorus of concern, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti urged the government to ensure uninterrupted movement, arguing that repeated disruptions were pushing Kashmir’s fruit growers into deeper distress.In a statement last week, Mehbooba expressed concern over the hardships faced by the valley’s horticulture sector as landslides and adverse weather persist. She called for immediate measures to ensure that perishable fruit reaches mandis (markets) without delay, warning that prolonged disruptions threatened the livelihoods of thousands of farming families.A long line of trucks waits near Udhampur as traffic movement remains affected on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. Photo: Junaid Dar.“The present situation demands an extraordinary administrative response. Apples and other fresh produce cannot remain stationary for days without affecting quality, market competitiveness and growers’ earnings,” she said.Meanwhile, Awami Itihaad Party chief spokesperson Inam un Nabi said that Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid has raised the issue with Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari in parliament, seeking a dedicated “green corridor” for fruit-laden trucks on NH-44 during the harvesting season.According to the party, Rashid urged coordinated between the National Highways Authority of India, traffic police, civil administration and the horticulture department to ensure uninterrupted transport of perishable produce.Fear of another year lostThe current crisis has revived painful memories of last year, when growers estimated losses of nearly Rs 2,000 crore due to prolonged highway closures, erratic weather, weak market demand, rising freight costs and the absence of government compensation.For growers, the debate over corridors and coordination comes too late.They fear that after months of labour, their hard work might turn into waste if the issue is not resolved promptly. The fruit that was meant to repay debts and sustain families has instead become a symbol of the harvest lost – not in the orchard, but on the highway meant to carry Kashmir’s ‘lifeline’ to the rest of the country.