Kashmir’s apple industry faces worst crisis in over a decade as prices crash by 70%

Srinagar: Kashmir’s famed apple industry, long regarded as the backbone of the valley’s rural economy, is enduring one of its worst seasons in more than a decade.

According to apple growers and traders, prices have crashed by nearly 70 per cent and demand has collapsed across the country’s wholesale markets, leaving growers from Sopore to Shopian in despair.

“In my entire life, I have never seen the demand for Kashmiri apples so low,” said Bashir Ahmad Basheer, president of the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Cum Dealers Union. “Growers are not even recovering what they spend on producing and packing the fruit. Rates have fallen by at least 70 per cent compared to last year. The entire industry is bleeding.”

In Pulwama, orchardist Bilal Ahmad Lone said he sold a box of apples for Rs 1,200– Rs 1,400 last year. “This year I’m being offered just Rs 300– Rs 400 for the same quality,” he said. “It doesn’t even cover the cost of plucking, grading and packaging. Many growers are thinking of not sending their produce outside at all because freight alone costs around Rs 400 a box.”

In Shopian, known as the valley’s “apple bowl”, the mood is equally bleak. “The quality is good but there is no demand in Delhi or Chandigarh mandis,” said Bashir Ahmad. “Our entire year’s hard work has gone in vain.”

Apple farming is not just an occupation in Kashmir; it is the economic lifeline for the region. The valley produces over two million metric tonnes of apples annually—about 70 per cent of India’s total—and provides direct or indirect employment to an estimated 3.5 million people. The sector contributes thousands of crores of rupees each year to Jammu and Kashmir’s economy, making it the single largest source of rural income.

This year, however, certain factors have devastated the trade. Cheaper imports from Iran and Afghanistan have flooded Indian markets, undercutting local produce. A bumper harvest in Himachal Pradesh, which reached mandis early due to favourable weather, has further depressed prices.

Rising freight, packaging and labour costs have compounded the blow, while frequent traffic disruptions on the Srinagar–Jammu National Highway have delayed shipments and caused spoilage losses.

Adding to the growers’ anger is the absence of a Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) this year. Last season, limited procurement by NAFED and the J&K Horticultural Produce Marketing and Processing Corporation offered some relief. With no such safety net now, orchardists are at the mercy of traders and commission agents.

“The government seems to be a mute spectator,” Basheer said. “If immediate measures are not taken, Kashmir’s apple economy could face irreversible damage.”

Experts warn that the fallout could be severe. “When apple prices collapse, it sets off a chain reaction across Kashmir’s countryside,” said an agricultural economist at SKUAST-Kashmir. “Farmers cannot repay loans, labourers lose work, and local consumption declines. It’s a full-blown rural distress.”

The apple sector had been one of the few bright spots in an economy battered by conflict, frequent lockdowns and climate shocks. A prolonged slump could push thousands of families deeper into debt.

Growers have urged the administration to announce freight subsidies, revive the MIS, and explore export incentives to Middle-Eastern markets where Kashmiri apples enjoy a brand value. But so far, the response has been muted, with officials merely saying the situation is being “monitored”.

As the harvest peaks this month, orchardists across the valley find little reason to celebrate. Crates of bright red fruit lie stacked in cold stores and roadside sheds, waiting for buyers who never come. “Apple is not just a fruit in Kashmir—it’s our identity and our survival,” said Showkat Ahmad. “If this continues, thousands of families will be ruined.”