Fruit growers and traders in the Valley are upbeat about a new freight service by Northern Railways between Kashmir and Delhi.
The Railway Board on Wednesday cleared the Joint Parcel Product–Rapid Cargo trains, aimed at boosting freight transportation through the railways.
Farmers and traders from the Valley’s apple-growing districts said the service would ease transport bottlenecks and cut freight costs.
“It will give a much-needed boost to the apple industry. Frequent closures of the Jammu-Srinagar national highway have long disrupted the smooth transport of fruit to markets outside the Valley,” said Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, a fruit grower from Baramulla.
Railway officials said that the trains with eight parcel vans will run between Central Kashmir’s Budgam and Delhi’s Adarsh Nagar railway station.
“The Railway Board has already given approval for it and the service may begin from the next week”, said an official.
On August 9, the first freight train carrying cement from Punjab arrived in Anantnag, marking the beginning of a new chapter in linking Kashmir with the national rail cargo system and easing the transport of construction materials into the Valley.
In June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the Vande Bharat Express between Katra and Srinagar.
Good timing
Bashir Ahmad Basheer, President of Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers cum Dealers Union said that the decision to launch the freight trains comes at an opportune time, just weeks before the beginning of the apple harvesting season.
“It will give a boost to our economy. From this season onwards, our produce will reach wholesale markets in Delhi well on time,” Basheer said.
He added that the rail service would also lower transportation costs.
“Without freight trains, farmers had to bear high transport charges, enhancing their overall input costs”, he added.
At present, the farmers are harvesting the high-density verities, while the season for traditional varieties will begin from next month. During the peak harvest, 2,000 to 3,000 apple-laden trucks leave Kashmir daily for wholesale markets across India. The Valley produces around 2.2 million tonnes of apples annually, accounting for more than 75 percent of the country’s total production.
