Shopian: Alarm bells of heavy losses in horticulture sector are ringing loud this year again due to low rates for Kashmir apple in outside markets.
Experts say that this year’s rates for apple are lowest in the decade, adding that last year the crop faced similar problems as large chunk of fruit rotted enroute to markets due to highway closure.
Izhan Javid, CEO of Green Valley Fruits told Kashmir Reader that apples are fetching low rates due to “demand and supply issues” again. “Government allows only three days of traffic from Kashmir and three days towards Kashmir and when this happens trucks with apples reach markets but remain dry for three days badly affecting the rates,” he said.
Apple growers from south Kashmir said they are getting very low rates, even lower than last year.
“All we get for a year of hard work and heavy investment are losses and depression,” Nasir Ahmad, a grower said adding that orchardists in Kashmir were in a condition like that of farmers in Maharashtra who were committing suicides after sustaining losses.
Another grower said that he sold B-grade 16-kilogram apple box at Rs 250.
“It costs us Rs 50 on picking and packing an apple box, Rs 70 to buy the empty apple box, and Rs 100 on sprays and fertilisers and Rs 50 on other labourer like ferrying and motor charges but at the same time we get Rs 250 of B grade, Rs 50 for fallen apple, Rs 550 for grade A 14 to 20 kilogram apple box,” Muneer Hussain, who owns 10 kanals of apple orchards said.
Horticulture experts believe that a breakout of secondary stage scab infection in August led to damage of apple quality in south Kashmir, another reason for lower rates fetched by the produce.
Muhammad Yasin Bhat, another grower said that he sold an apple box for Rs 900 locally a decade ago, but was getting much lower prices for the same quality of apple today.
“There is huge increase of prices of fertilisers, fungicides, kerosene, empty apple boxes and labour but our produce is getting lower rates with every passing year, “Bhat said.
Besides lower rates, heavy ferrying charges have broken the backs of orchardists and traders.
“The ferrying charges this year are double that of last year while as rates are three to four hundred a box lesser than previous years,” owner of Lone brothers, a trading firm based in Shopian said.
Gopal Das, CEO of RK Brothers, a firm based in Delhi attributed the lowered prices to low quality and heavier supply of apples.
“First the quality of apple is not good. We saw the apple of plains not in good condition as it gets stopped on Delhi border for days and under the prevailing temperature here, plus the humidity under the plastic covers on apple, it reaches to us in spoiled condition,” Das told Kashmir Reader.
He added that he hopes rates would increase once the apple from higher altitudes reach the market.

Raashid Hassan