Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Sept 6: As harvesting of delicious variety of apples has begun, the fruit growers of south Kashmir are worried over the closure of mandis in the wake of shutdown and security restrictions and they fear if the ongoing situation continues to persist the apple crop may rot on trees and in orchards.
The apple growers said that all six mandis in four districts – Pulwama, Kulgam, Anantnag and Shopian – are shut since the unrest started after the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani on July 8. They said that though they attempted many times to open the mandis for business but both security forces and protesters forced them to close them.
Muhammad Younis, an apple grower hailing from Malangpora in Awantipora area of Pulwama district, said that Kulu delicious quality of apple is ready and due to closure of mandis they are not harvesting them. “Now, the apples have started to fall down in orchards because they are ripe. We fear heavy losses because the mandis are closed and there are no clients,” he added.
Another grower said that the life of delicious apple is very less. “If it doesn’t reach mandis on time, it will rot,” he said. The growers said that some of them have managed to take the apples to Jammu. “However, the rate has gone down which is another concern and worrying aspect in this terrible situation,” added the grower.
President of Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Association, Bashir Ahmad, admitted that the closure of mandis would have “disastrous affect” in south Kashmir. “If the scenario continuous, the apple crop will simply rot in our orchards,” he said.
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