Fruit traders operating from Sopore Mandi complain about shortages of transport for shipping their apples to outside markets.
Traders and growers on this market, one of main fruit markets of Kashmir, say this important apple trade centre has been completely neglected by the government. They say the acute shortage of trucks for transportation, coupled with high freight rates, have huge consequences for the apple traders, both buyers and sellers, but authorities are nowhere to be seen to address the issue.
Firdous Ahmad Dar, a fruit grower, said that despite slow market at the end of this fruit season, transporters have increased rates which add to the suffering as the traders cannot afford the high freight rates.
Mushtaq Ahmad Tantray told greaterkashmir.com that the Sopore Fruit Mandi is one of the main economic centres in the valley, where more than 300 fruit-laden trucks are ready to send outside the state daily. Now, only 50 trucks are available to transport this perishable fruit. Due to a shortage of trucks the transporters are charging exorbitant rates.
