The apple growers/suppliers in Kashmir are presently a worried lot. Reason, the exorbitant transportation cost amid ongoing unrest in Kashmir is proving prohibitive for sending fruit to outside markets.
According to the growers/suppliers the number of trucks in the wake of ongoing crisis in Kashmir has decreased sending the transportation costs sky high.
“The truck fare from Srinagar to Delhi which was in the range of Rs 60 – Rs 70 per box of apple during last year, has surged to Rs 120,” Bashir Ahmad Bashir, President Parimpora Fruit Mandi Association, said.
He said the fruit growers had already “suffered extensive loss to their crop by the strong winds and hailstorm at many places in the Kashmir.”
“Now the limited number of trucks available in Kashmir is giving them tough time as they are not able to despatch timely their fruit to outside markets,” he added.
Bashir said a trawler carrying 1,000 apple boxes would charge Rs 70,000 for transportation to Delhi mandi last year. “Presently it is now costing Rs 1.20 lakh.”
Last year in September almost 1000-1500 truckloads of apple were transported to various parts of India per day, said Muhammad Sidiq Ronga, president of J&K Goods Transport Companies Association.
“But this year, the growers are able to send fruit only to Delhi mandi as the transporters from other states such as West Bengal, Maharashtra , Assam, and UP are not coming to Kashmir,” he said.
Ronga said the transporters are presently operating individually in Kashmir “and not as part of any truckers’ union.”
He said the association is “unable to regulate fares” as only few trucks are running.
The truckers from Sopore, Baramulla, Shopian and other districts are carrying the apples during night because of shutdown during the day, “but the restrictions on the Highway add to the travel time,” he lamented.
“The Jawahar tunnel is often shut for traffic during night time which further increases the travel time for a truck by almost 8-12 hours to reach Delhi, which again adds to the costs,” he said.
“The transportation charges have increased phenomenally this year,” Mushtaq Ahmad Tantray, president, Sopore Fruit Mandi said.
