The launch of the Vande Bharat Express train in Kashmir has brought new hope to local fruit growers. They now have a faster way to send their famous apples to markets across India, keeping them fresher for longer.
For decades, apple growers in the Valley have depended on the often-blocked Srinagar-Jammu highway to transport their produce. Now, with the modern train service connecting Kashmir to the rest of the country, they are hoping for a dedicated freight train, an “Apple Express.”
Bashir Ahmed, president of the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers-cum-Dealers Union, believes the timing couldn’t be better.
Speaking to THE WEEK, he said, “The successful rail shipment of cherries to Delhi was a positive start, but cherries have a short shelf life and had to be reloaded at Katra. That model won’t work for apples, which are transported in bulk.”
Ahmed said last month, they had a meeting with the railway authorities for a dedicated good train for Kashmir. “A direct goods train from Kashmir to Delhi is the need of the hour,” he said. “Railway officials have told us it’s technically possible-the track is already there. What we need now is the Centre’s consent. We are hopeful that Prime Minister Modi will give the green signal. It will be a game changer.”
Apple is an ₹8000 crore business for Kashmir; cherry is exported in far less quantity, 13000 metric tons.
Kashmir produces nearly 75 per cent of India’s apples, and the horticulture sector supports over 3.5 million people-growers, transporters, labourers, fertiliser dealers and packagers.
Popular varieties like Red Delicious, Maharaji, and American Apple are sent to markets across India. Yet, the road journey through the mountainous highway has long been a bottleneck-expensive, time-consuming, and vulnerable to closure during adverse weather conditions.
Abul Rashid, an apple farmer, said a direct train to ferry apples from Kashmir to different parts of India would be a boon.
As Kashmir’s rail connectivity improves, growers believe that a direct freight train could finally unlock the full potential of the Valley’s apple economy-and carry their hopes beyond the mountains.