Apple trade in Kashmir valley is badly hit and the authorities have failed to restore supply chain in this crucial sector of economy here. Kashmir produces 22 lakh metric tons of apple every year and most of it is in the cold storage as this industry was badly hit due to the clampdown of the central government, post August 5, 2019.

Now the farmers were having hope that they will sell the produce in these months but the COVID-19 lockdown has broken the supply chain according to them. As the farmers are not finding market for their produce, over three million cartons of apples are lying in cold storage, recent media reports said.

They fear incurring more loses than the value of their produce if lockdown continues as there are no buyers due to the market conditions.

The lockdown has added to their already existing problems, as early snowfall and August 2019 lockdown has brought more agony to them. Normally apple traders from different mandis of the country would come here, but due to the COVID-19 clampdown apple farmers are getting no buyers. The farmers say the lockdown has broken the supply chain and authorities are doing nothing to restore it.

Apple farmers are looking for some government intervention first for the supply chain then some incentives for the cold storage owners so that they can pass on that benefit to them. They have to pay rupees 35 per apple box per month to the cold storage units to save their produce from rotting.