By Basharat Ali
THIS year we have the finest #Apple crop, yet there are no buyers to the “world famous” #Kashmiri apple. I have been trying to convince my father to allow me to explore channels and sell our crop online. He is not able to wrap his head around the idea yet.
In my limited experience, the exploitative commission charged by local merchants and agents is responsible for creating a dual economy in the ecosystem. The agents are becoming richer and growers poorer with each passing year. The debt accumulated by growers is forcing many to sell off their land – something that’s considered insulting in most landed societies globally by people who don’t view their land as a commodity but as a symbol of family prestige.
It is this debt that’s also forcing many to use coloring chemicals, hoping that more redness will fetch some extra money. This, however, only leads to degradation in the quality of apples.To release themselves from the debt and to feed their families, growers have, in the last few years, started harvesting some crops much earlier than usual. This, again, compromises the quality of apples and causes damage to trees.
It is true that the influx of cheap apples from different countries is hitting the market but that is also an excuse used by the agents in fruit Mandi Sopore to cover up the mafia that’s running the place.They will protest against the influx of Iranian apples, but they will be tight-lipped about the degradation of Kashmiri apples caused by the practices promoted by the mafia at fruit Mandi Sopore.
The road-blockade is adding to the misery of farmers. Hundreds of apple-laden trucks are stuck on the Srinagar-Jammu highway. The blockade has resulted in a massive decline in the demand at the fruit Mandi. With tonnes of apple produce stuck on the highway, merchants are either buying it at cheap rates or not buying at all. This has also led to a halt in harvest. According to my estimates, it costs a grower near about ₹900 to prepare a 14 Kg box. Currently, the same box is being sold at ₹250 in the local market.
- Views expressed in the article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the editorial stance of Kashmir Observer. The article was originally published as a twitter thread by the author and is being reproduced here with permission
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