by Maleeha Sofi Follow Us On G -N e w s | Whatsapp

SRINAGAR : This autumn, as the orchards of south Kashmir ripen with one of the finest apple crops in recent memory, clean, scabless, well-sized, and richly coloured, growers find themselves in deep distress. What should have been a season of relief and profit is instead being described as one of the most punishing in years.

In Shopian, the core of Kashmir’s apple belt, growers speak of spiralling costs and collapsing returns. Labour for harvesting has become prohibitively expensive. “We are paying Rs 800 to Rs 1,100 a day for picking,” one orchardist said, pointing out that the costs of even basic work are eating into already thin margins. Right now, tens of thousands of people from Chenab Valley, Rajouri,

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