Shopian: Though over 50 truckloads carrying about fifty-thousand apple boxes are still being transported to different markets of India, the season of cold storage has started in Kashmir, but on a dismal note, with rates of Kashmiri apples 40 percent less than rates of last year.
In spite of the Covid lockdown last year in India, the Kashmiri apple was able to get record rates in different markets of India. A Kashmir Kulu Delicious 17-kilogram apple box was sold at Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,300, but this year the same is witnessing less than Rs 1,500 rates.
According to growers, over Rs 200 are being charged as cold storage charges to store a 17-kilogram apple box in stores at Lasipora Pulwama, Aglar Shopian and some parts of north Kashmir.
Izhan Javid, chief executive officer of a leading fruit company in Kashmir, said that a 10-kilogram apple box is being sold at Rs 800 to Rs 1,000 in Indian markets. “A small quantity of around 60 truckloads is being transported to different stations. Once there will be increase in quantity of the apple sent, there are chances of more rate decline,” he said.
Javid said that the prime reason for rate decline is heavy chunk of Turkish and mostly Iranian apple being brought to India. “Once there is more quantity of apple available against the lower demand, I think the Kashmiri apple wouldn’t be able to get sufficient rates. It obviously brings losses to the sector,” he said.
In Kashmir last year, over two lakh metric tonnes of apple were stored in cold storages. Untimely snowfall in October, and high rates of stored apple seen in 2021 were the reasons due to which such a huge quantity of apple was stored.
Experts say that last year very little quantity of Iranian apple, that too for around a month, was brought to India, which resulted in handsome rates for Kashmir apple last year.
Since the start of cold storage facilities in Kashmir, hundreds of crores of rupees have been spent on construction of about 40 cold storage units in the valley. Almost all such stores were given more than 50 percent subsidy by the government.
Bilal Ahmad, a grower and trader, said that he has stored one thousand apple boxes in the cold storage at Lasipora, but the storage rates will bring him losses. “I bought a box from the market at Rs 950 and the same is now getting Rs 1000, after spending Rs 250 on its storage and transportation,” he said.
He demanded that the government ban the illegal import of apple from Iran so that people in Kashmir do not suffer more.

Raashid Hassan