An almost unprecedented crisis has affected Kashmir’s apple harvest, which is essential to the Valley’s economy. After significant rainfall, flash floods, and landslides damaged important sections of the road between Udhampur, Ramban, and Banihal, the Srinagar–Jammu National Highway (NH-44), the primary route for exporting apples and other produce from the area, has been closed to heavy traffic for about 20 days. Fruit is rotting, cold storage and orchards are overcrowded, hundreds of trucks are stuck, and losses have already surpassed ₹1,000 crore and are still growing.

There have been reports of up to 2,000–3,000 trucks carrying apples and pears stuck at different locations along the highway. 700–1,200 boxes of apples,........

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