Kashmir Demands Dedicated Green Corridor on NH‑44 for Apple Transport
· India · India Today, Zee News
Kashmir’s apple growers are demanding a dedicated green corridor on National Highway‑44 to ensure timely delivery of their crops to Delhi markets. The request comes after the 2025 monsoon season, when landslides and frequent closures of NH‑44 caused losses of over Rs 2,000 crore for the sector. Riyaz Ahmad Khan, an apple farmer in Anantnag district, says he has finished harvesting Gala apples but fears he may not reach the capital on time because the highway often shuts. The Sopore Fruit Mandi and the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry estimate that 400‑500 fruit‑laden trucks leave the valley daily, a number that could grow as the harvest peaks. A green corridor with fixed time slots for fruit trucks would keep traffic moving and reduce spoilage, the organisations say.
Why it matters
The failure to transport apples on schedule risks spoilage and financial loss for thousands of growers and could drive up fresh fruit prices in northern markets.
Read the original report — India Today
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