Sweet Fruit, Bitter Fall

The apple orchards of Kashmir have long been the pride of the Valley glowing with promise every autumn, sustaining millions of lives, and reflecting generations of hard work and hope. Each year, as harud, the harvest season, bathes the hillsides in gold, farmers await the fruit of their labor. But this year, joy turned into despair. What was expected to be a season of plenty has become one of pain. Apples that were meant to reach markets across the country now rot in stranded trucks. For thousands of growers, months of toil have been undone not by negligence, but by uncontrollable forces: ceaseless rains, damaged roads, and collapsing prices. The loss goes beyond money it cuts deep into the very soul of the Valley’s agrarian life.

Kashmir accounts for nearly 80% of India’s apple productio