SRINAGAR, Aug 19: Better apple prices have lifted hopes among Kashmir’s growers this season, but extensive hailstorm damage across the Valley has prompted the fruit industry to seek immediate Government intervention under the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS).
The Kashmir Fruit Growers & Dealers Association said rates were particularly encouraging in Sopore mandi, with association president Fayaz Ahmad Malik attributing the trend mainly to a decline in Himachal Pradesh’s apple crop.
“The market is better as Himachal has 30 per cent crop and that is why we are getting better rates,” Malik said.
The apple season has been underway since June, with early varieties from north Kashmir already reaching markets.
The improved rates have raised hopes of better returns among growers, particularly after repeated weather-related setbacks in recent years.
Malik, however, said growers would need to maintain the quality of their produce to benefit from the favourable market conditions.
He urged farmers to focus on proper grading, sorting and packaging to secure better prices and remain competitive in domestic and export markets.
“The farmers should take care of grading because we have large competition from foreign apples, Himachal and Uttarakhand. The farmers should ensure good grading so that they get better rates,” he said.
He said properly graded and sorted apples could fetch premium prices and help Kashmir’s growers compete more effectively with produce from other regions as well as imported fruit.
At the same time, the association expressed concern over extensive damage caused by recent hailstorms in apple-growing areas across north, central and south Kashmir.
Malik said the losses had been severe and called for immediate Government support to affected growers, particularly through the Market Intervention Scheme.
“If crop insurance is possible right now, it should be implemented. If not, MIS must be ensured so that the apples damaged by hailstorms are consumed locally and growers are provided some relief,” he said.
He urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the Agriculture Minister to intervene and ensure that hail-damaged apples are procured under the MIS for local consumption, allowing affected growers to recover at least part of their losses.
