The plight of apple growers in Kashmir is not a natural inevitability—it is a man-made failure – of logistics, policy, and planning. Kashmir’s apple sector, involving lakhs of small and medium size growers, is repeatedly brought to its knees by frequent closures of the Srinagar-Jammu national highway, the region’s primary arterial link to the rest of the country. The 2024 season alone saw estimated losses of over ₹1000 crore, a staggering burden on an already fragile economy. 2025 seems to be repeating the same tragic story. The real tragedy is this: these losses are avoidable.

So, what is the way forward?

Are there ways which can improve logistics, enhance marketing efficiency, protect apple-growers’ livelihoods and increase their profitability. And at the same time enhance environmenta

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