#kashmireconomy Archives

Kashmir’s Tourism Boom Looks Record-Breaking. So Why Are Locals Falling Behind?

August 12, 2026 Editor

Kashmir’s Tourism Rollercoaster: A Record Boom, a Devastating Crash, and a Recovery That Still Isn’t Reaching Locals By: Javid Amin | 12 Aug 2026 In 2024, Kashmir logged more tourists than ever before. In 2025, that number collapsed by nearly a quarter after the Pahalgam attack. In 2026, arrivals are slowly climbing back — but ask a houseboat owner or a local travel agent, and the boom-bust-rebound cycle looks less like a rollercoaster and more like proof of exactly who the system was never built to protect. Srinagar — Two…

National Highway Disruptions Raise Apple Growers’ Fears as Harvest Season Approaches

August 9, 2026August 9, 2026 Editor

National Highway 44 Kashmir Disruptions Raise Apple Growers’ Fears as Harvest Season Approaches

NH-44 Disruptions Raise Fresh Fears for Kashmir’s Apple Growers as Harvest Season Approaches By: News Desk | 08 Aug 2026 For Kashmir’s fruit growers, the road from an orchard to a distant market can be as important as the crop itself. As the 2026 apple harvest and dispatch season approaches, that journey is once again becoming a source of anxiety. The Jammu–Srinagar National Highway (NH-44)—the principal road corridor connecting the Kashmir Valley with markets and supply chains outside the region—has witnessed repeated disruptions this year, particularly across vulnerable stretches of…

Green Corridor for Kashmir’s Apple Trucks: Can It Save the Valley’s ₹12,000-Crore Fruit Economy?

August 3, 2026 Editor

Green Corridor for Fruit Trucks: Why Kashmir’s Apple Economy Is Racing Against the Clock By: Javid Amin | 03 Aug 2026 Every August, thousands of trucks loaded with fresh apples, pears and plums begin the long haul from Kashmir’s orchards to markets across India. This year, that journey is once again running into landslides, security convoys and highway shutdowns — and the Valley’s traders are asking for a fix that’s been talked about for years but never fully delivered: a dedicated green corridor. There’s a rhythm to August in Kashmir…

Kashmir Mutton Crisis Deepens: ₹14 Crore Daily Livestock Trade Disrupted, Wazwan Tradition Faces Supply Shock

July 1, 2026 Editor

Kashmir’s Mutton Crisis: When a Supply Chain Breakdown Threatens a ₹14 Crore Daily Trade By: Javid Amin | 30 June 2026 A shortage of mutton in Kashmir has now moved beyond empty market shelves. What started as a disruption in livestock transportation has turned into a wider economic and cultural concern, affecting traders, consumers and one of the Valley’s most cherished traditions — Kashmiri Wazwan. The livestock trade connected to Kashmir’s meat markets is estimated to involve business worth nearly ₹14 crore every day, supporting a large network of livestock…

Kashmir Tourism Crisis 2026: How West Asia Conflict Crushed Travel Industry in India

April 7, 2026 Editor

Tourism Is Quietly Dying in Kashmir — And Nobody’s Talking About It By: Javid Amin | 07 April 2026 How a Distant War in West Asia Has Shaken India’s Fragile Travel Economy Overnight Tourism Is Dying. Kashmir Feels It First. There is a silence settling over Kashmir’s valleys this spring — not the peaceful silence of snowfall or dawn prayers, but something heavier. The kind that comes when bookings vanish, flights thin out, and houseboats remain empty at sunset. This isn’t a seasonal dip.This is a shockwave. And it didn’t…

Kashmir Returns to Routine as Restrictions Ease: Shops Reopen, Transport Resumes, and Life Slowly Stabilizes

March 8, 2026 Editor

Kashmir Restrictions Eased: Shops Reopen, Transport Resumes as Valley Returns to Normal By: Javid Amin | 07 March 2026 Valley Breathes Again: Markets Open and Streets Fill After Days of Restrictions After several days of tension and restrictions, daily life in the Kashmir Valley is gradually returning to normal. Markets have reopened, transport services are operating again, and people are cautiously stepping out to resume their daily routines. The easing of curbs has brought relief to residents, traders, and transport workers who had been affected by shutdowns imposed in the…

J&K Liquor Sales Cross 5.63 Crore Bottles Till January 2026; ₹435 Crore Excise Revenue Earned

February 27, 2026February 27, 2026 Editor

Over 5.63 Crore Liquor Bottles Sold in J&K Till January 2026; Excise Revenue Touches ₹435 Crore By: Javid Amin | 26 February 2026 Official excise data reveals that more than 5.63 crore liquor bottles were sold across Jammu & Kashmir up to January 2026, generating approximately ₹435 crore in excise revenue for the Union Territory. The bulk of sales came from Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and beer, reaffirming alcohol taxation as one of the most consistent non-GST revenue streams for J&K’s administration. While volumes have shown a marginal dip…

Mehbooba Mufti Demands 50% Import Duty on Apples to Protect J&K Horticulture Sector

February 21, 2026 Editor

“Impose 50% Import Duty on Apples, Save J&K’s Fruit Industry”: Mehbooba Mufti Urges PM Modi By: Javid Amin | 20 February 2026 Apple Trade Row Intensifies: Mehbooba Mufti Seeks 50% Import Duty to Shield Kashmir’s Orchard Economy Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the Centre to impose a 50% import duty on apples to safeguard the Valley’s fragile horticulture sector. Her appeal comes amid concerns over reduced import duties on American apples under the interim Indo-US trade…

Kashmir’s Red Gold vs Climate Chaos: Inside the Saffron Revival Defying Weather Extremes

February 18, 2026 Editor

Kashmir Saffron Revival: How Red Gold Is Beating Climate Change and Boosting Profits By: Javid Amin | 16 February 2026 A Crop That Refused to Disappear For over a decade, Kashmir’s saffron fields stood as a warning symbol of climate vulnerability. Shrinking acreage, erratic snowfall, soil degradation, and urban encroachment had pushed the Valley’s most iconic crop toward decline. Experts predicted a slow death for the centuries-old tradition. Instead, the opposite is unfolding. Against the backdrop of abnormal winters, precipitation deficits, and warming trends across the Himalayas, Kashmir’s saffron industry…

J&K Budget Local Hiring Rule Sparks Industry Backlash: Jobs Push Meets Investment Anxiety

February 16, 2026 Editor

Mandatory Local Hiring in J&K Budget Triggers Industry Pushback By: Javid Amin | 15 February 2026 A key proposal in the Jammu & Kashmir Budget 2026–27 — making local hiring mandatory for industries receiving government concessions — has ignited a sharp debate between policymakers and business leaders, exposing the tension between employment-driven welfare policy and investment-led growth strategy. The government frames the move as a corrective step aimed at ensuring that industrial incentives translate into real opportunities for local youth. Industry groups, however, warn that the mandate risks colliding with…