# Highway closures rot Kashmir apple crop, growers seek alternatives 2026-08-13T03:35:47+00:00 | Politics | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Frequent closures of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway during the apple harvest season are causing heavy losses for Kashmir growers, with fruit rotting in stranded trucks. Bashir Ahmad Basheer of the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers-cum-Dealers Union said a truck usually takes 15-18 hours to reach Delhi, but closures can stretch the journey to weeks, ruining over half the load. Official data shows the highway was closed for 284 days between 2018 and 2024. Last year's industry losses were estimated at Rs 1,500-Rs 2,000 crore. A NABARD study for 2020-22 found 9.51 per cent of Kashmir's apple output is lost post-harvest. Growers say alternative routes like Mughal Road are unsuitable for heavy trucks. Indian Railways' parcel trains offer some relief, but farmers demand dedicated loading facilities and more services during the peak season from August to November. ## Coverage - thehindubusinessline.com Tags: Farmers, infrastructure, Jammu-Srinagar highway, Kashmir apples, post-harvest losses Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/highway-closures-rot-kashmir-apple-crop-growers-seek-alternatives/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/highway-closures-rot-kashmir-apple-crop-growers-seek-alternatives/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.