Srinagar, Sep 02 (KNO): With the apple harvesting peak season still around a month away, all cold storage facilities in Kashmir have already been booked in advance, leaving growers anxious about finding space for their produce.
The advance booking of cold storage units underlines both the rising importance of cold storage in the valley’s horticulture economy and the widening gap between demand and available infrastructure.
According to official figures, available with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the valley currently has about 85 cold storage units with a collective capacity of nearly 4 lakh metric tonnes (MT). These are mostly concentrated in fruit-rich districts like Pulwama, Shopian, Anantnag, and Srinagar. However, Kashmir produces more than 22 lakh MT of apples annually, creating a significant shortfall in storage capacity.
Growers said they had little choice but to reserve storage space months in advance, given the profits they can make by holding apples for late-season sales.
“Last year, I stored around 500 boxes of apples in a cold store and sold them in April when prices were much higher compared to peak season,” said Ghulam Rasool Wani, an orchardist from Shopian. “But many of my fellow growers couldn’t get space because of limited capacity. This year, I booked early, but many others are still struggling.”
Officials of cold storage units also confirmed the rush. “Every season, we receive far more requests than we can accommodate,” said Fayaz Ahmad, who runs a leading facility in Lassipora. “This year, bookings started as early as July, and the majority of units have already been booked fully”
He said the pace of bookings has picked up in the last two weeks after National Highway-44 witnessed frequent closures due to damage at several spots because of continuous inclement weather.
Officials from the Horticulture Planning and Marketing Department acknowledged that infrastructure expansion is urgently needed. “Cold storage is vital for post-harvest management, as it helps reduce losses and ensures better prices for growers,” a senior official told KNO. “Under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) and other schemes, we are offering up to 50% subsidy and soft loans for setting up new cold storage units, particularly Controlled Atmosphere (CA) facilities.”
He added that the government has plans to increase the valley’s cold storage capacity by at least 3 lakh MT in the coming years.
While growers welcomed the government’s initiatives, they said the expansion process must be accelerated. “Without storage, we’re forced to sell apples at throwaway rates during peak season,” said Bashir Ahmad Dar, a farmer from Anantnag. “We request the authorities to clear new projects quickly and also support small growers who want to form cooperatives to build their own facilities.
Horticulture is the backbone of Kashmir’s rural economy, with around 70% of the population directly or indirectly dependent on it. Experts say that strengthening post-harvest infrastructure is essential to improving farmers’ incomes and reducing distress sales.
With production this year expected to be normal despite weather challenges, the demand for cold storage space is only set to rise further.
Stakeholders believe that timely investments in this sector will not only boost profits for growers but also stabilise the valley’s horticulture economy in the long run—(KNO)