Kashmir's Rich Apple Harvest Comes As Unexpectedly Sweet News For Centre, Arrivals Pick Up At Azadpur Mandi

Kashmir’s apple harvest is expected to match production in 2017-2018, say figures released this week by the Jammu and Kashmir government’s horticulture department — belying fears that anger against the Centre’s decision to end the state’s special status, as well as labor shortages and violence, were forcing farmers to leave their fruit crop, valued at Rs 1,200 crore, to rot.

The government estimates the fruit harvest will hover around 1,956,331 metric tonnes in 2018-2019 — similar to the 1,973,326 mt recorded in 2017-2018. Figures for trucks with cargoes of apples, maintained at the Lakhanpur excise barrier, show 34,599 trucks crossed Jammu and Kashmir’s largest commercial transit point until 9 October, carrying over 440,000 metric tons (mt.) of fruit to nation markets: 124,000 mt. of that since 1 October alone.

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