Pulwama, Sep 26: Kashmir’s apple industry – often described as the backbone of the valley’s economy – continues to reel under crisis this year. While highway blockades and low demand have already dented the season, the shortage of cold storage space has now left small and medium-scale growers in despair, forcing many to sell their produce at throwaway prices.

Speaking with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), small growers from Shopian, Pulwama, and adjoining districts said that while the government often advises them to make use of cold storage facilities during market slowdowns, the ground reality is very different.

“Tell us, what is the benefit of cold storage units when we can’t even store our produce in them?” asked Abdul Rashid, an orchardist from Pulwama. “We were waitin

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