Kashmir Apple Industry at Risk: Fruit Growers Demand Cargo Train as NH-44 Closure Hits ₹20,000 Cr Sector
By: Javid Amin | 02 Sep 2025
Kashmir’s Apples on the Brink
The closure of the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) has once again put Kashmir’s ₹20,000 crore apple industry on the edge. With the harvest season peaking, fruit growers warn of massive losses as trucks carrying apples remain stuck for days along Ramban, Banihal, and Udhampur stretches.
Cold storage units are packed, mandis are overflowing, and market prices are collapsing. For growers, every delay means rot, rejection, and ruin.
“Every hour counts in this season. If apples don’t reach Delhi’s Azadpur Mandi on time, we lose everything,” says Mohammad Altaf, an orchardist from Baramulla.
NH-44: A Recurring Nightmare
The 844-km lifeline between Kashmir and the rest of India has become a bottleneck for the horticulture sector.
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Frequent landslides, mudslides, and shooting stones in Ramban–Banihal halt transport for days.
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Trucks piled up for kilometres, with perishable fruit spoiling en route.
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Market arrivals delayed → price crashes at Delhi’s Azadpur Mandi.
This recurring highway crisis, growers say, has crippled Kashmir’s most vital sector, which provides livelihoods to 3.5 million people.
Political Push for Rail Relief
Former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has urged the Centre to launch a dedicated cargo train to safeguard the fruit economy.
“The fruit industry has kept J&K’s economy afloat during difficult times. There is a need for a special cargo train from Kashmir to Delhi—it is the need of the hour,” she said.
Mufti stressed that the hurdles of NH-44 can no longer be allowed to dictate the fate of Kashmir’s biggest industry.
Railways Respond: Budgam–Delhi Cargo Train Announced
In a significant move, Northern Railway has approved a daily Joint Parcel Product–Railway Cargo Service (JPP-RCS) between Budgam and New Delhi, beginning late September 2025.
Key Features of the Service:
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🚆 8 parcel vans + 1 luggage rake
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📍 Budgam departure: 10:45 hrs
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🕛 Arrival at Delhi (Adarsh Nagar): Next morning
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💻 Booking via Virtual Aggregation Platform (VAP)
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🔒 Secured by Railway Protection Force (RPF)
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⚡ Fully electric traction, 845 km run
Officials say the new cargo rail will cut dependence on NH-44, minimize fruit spoilage, and provide direct, reliable access to national markets.
Why It Matters
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Kashmir contributes 70% of India’s apple production.
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Around 25–30 lakh metric tonnes of apples are harvested annually.
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Transport bottlenecks can wipe out hundreds of crores in weeks.
The Budgam–Delhi rail cargo line could become a game-changer—ensuring the world-famous Kashmiri apple reaches Indian markets fresh, fast, and fairly priced.
Bottom-Line
The announcement of a cargo train is a welcome step, but experts warn it must be backed by:
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Cold-chain logistics (reefer wagons, storage hubs).
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Mandi linkages in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore.
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Policy safeguards to ensure fair freight rates for growers.
For Kashmir’s apple farmers, the true harvest this year may not be in orchards, but in whether India builds resilient supply chains to match the challenges of a changing climate and fragile highways.
