Kashmir Apples on Track, Growers Elated

Srinagar- Indian Railways will operate two parcel vans from Thursday to transport fruits from Kashmir Valley to Jammu and Delhi, offering relief to the horticulture sector hit by the prolonged closure of National Highway 44 due to torrential rains and floods. Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said a daily parcel train will begin from Budgam station to Adarsh Nagar in Delhi from Saturday, ensuring timely transport of the season’s finest Kashmiri apples. “Empowering Kashmir’s apple growers. With the Jammu-Srinagar line operational, the Valley has better connectivity. Railways is introducing a daily time-tabled parcel train from Budgam in Kashmir Valley to Adarsh Nagar station in Delhi starting September 13, 2025,” Vaishnaw said in an X post. Officials said one parcel van will be bound for Delhi and another for Jammu, marking a “transformative era” for the Valley’s horticulture logistics. By reducing dependence on vulnerable road routes, the rail service aims to invigorate the sector and support the local economy. Fruit Growers Welcome Move Fruit growers in Kashmir welcomed the launch of a trial parcel train service carrying apples to Delhi, saying it will cut travel time nearly in half and save produce from rotting due to frequent highway closures. Varun Mital from Fine Valley Agri Farms, whose consignment was among the first dispatched on Thursday said that the initiative has come at a critical time. “Earlier, sending fruit to Delhi used to take around 36 hours. Now the same work will be done in just 20 hours. This will directly improve the quality of fruit reaching the markets,” he said. He noted that the continued closure of National Highway-44 had badly affected growers. “The highway, considered the lifeline of Kashmir, has remained shut for 14 days. We lost 30–60 percent of our produce in trucks that got stranded. In plums, we faced a 100 percent loss, and in pears nearly 70 percent,” he said. According to Mital, Thursday’s trial included two cargo coaches carrying about 3,000 apple boxes—around 36 tons. Each railway container, he added, can carry up to 23 tons of fruit. “Today, two of our trucks with 1,500 boxes each were loaded. In future, the number of trains and cargoes will increase, with proper scanning and other facilities in place,” he said.

Mital credited the government for introducing the service at short notice. “This is a great initiative, and it will benefit not only us but also other growers. It reduces our dependency on the highway and opens a more reliable route through the railways,” he said. President of the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Cum Dealers Union, Bashir Ahmad Basheer, welcomed the decision but cautioned that the current capacity falls far short of industry needs. “At present, two parcel trains will carry around 3,000 apple boxes daily, which is insufficient given the scale of produce waiting to be transported,” he said. “The government has assured us that from September 13, the service will be increased to eight parcels, equivalent to about 16 truckloads per day. While this is a positive beginning, it still cannot match the highway’s capacity,” he added. Basheer said growers can now directly register through the railway department’s website, where they are required to pay half the fare at the time of booking. He said the cost has been fixed at around Rs 3 per kilogram, but fruit owners themselves will have to load and unload the boxes at the railway stations. Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation (KTMF) has welcomed the facilitation of apple transportation through train services in view of the frequent closure of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway. KTMF President Mohammad Yaseen Khan extended heartfelt gratitude to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for personally intervening and ensuring that the horticulture sector, particularly apple growers and traders is provided with a viable alternative to keep the supply chain active. LG, CM Thank Railways Minister

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed gratitude to the Railways Ministry for the initiative. A post on his official X handle said, “The chief minister has expressed gratitude to Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw for support, as train parcels have now reached Kashmir. The Horticulture Department is coordinating the transportation with the fruit growers.” Later, while speaking with reporters, the CM said, “Right now it is our compulsion that we have to send the fruit through the train. In future, I would like it to be a regular feature… people who want to send their goods by road can do it but a special cargo train should be there.” He said the parcel van should be refrigerated for transporting the horticulture produce and for importing essential goods into the valley. Earlier, Omar took to social media about the start of the parcel van train service for horticulture products. “It took about a week of close coordination between the railway ministry officials & officers in my secretariat with inputs from the J&K Agriculture Production Department to get to the point where our harvested fruit is now being transported by train. With the National Highway continuing to give us trouble this has become a source of great relief for growers whose produce risked rotting because it wasn’t reaching the market. “My thanks to Ashwini Vaishnaw for responding to my calls & endless messages to get to this off the ground,” he posted on X. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha also welcomed the move. “The daily parcel train from Budgam to New Delhi will bring huge relief to apple growers. My deepest gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw,” he said on X. The initiative comes after railway lines in the Union Territory were shut due to floods, leaving trucks stranded and causing severe financial losses to farmers. With the restoration of rail services, apple growers can now access faster, safer, and more reliable transportation to national markets.