Srinagar: With Kashmir’s fruit season nearing its peak, the Directorate of Horticulture Planning and Marketing on Saturday held a stakeholder consultation in Srinagar to expand the use of railway freight and Roll-on-Roll-off (Ro-Ro) services for transporting horticultural produce to markets across the country.
Around 25,000 metric tonnes of apples were transported by rail from Kashmir during the previous season, according to the department, highlighting the growing role of railways as an alternative to road transport.
The meeting, held at Rajbagh under the chairmanship of Director Horticulture Planning and Marketing Ghulam Jeelani Zargar, was attended by representatives of Northern Railway, the Horticulture Department, fruit and vegetable market committees, growers’ associations, traders, aggregators and logistics service providers.
Discussions focused on increasing the use of rail freight during the peak season, including booking procedures, operational arrangements and logistics requirements.
An Assistant Commercial Manager from Northern Railway briefed participants on available freight services for horticultural produce from Kashmir, including procedures for booking consignments and requirements for using the services.
Participants also reviewed difficulties faced during the previous season and discussed measures to improve the movement of fruit by rail.
The President of the Fruit Association Sopore highlighted operational and logistical bottlenecks and called for timely intervention to address them, enabling growers and traders to make more effective use of railway services.
Aggregators and logistics operators shared their experience of transporting fruit by rail and said they would continue providing transparent and grower-friendly services aimed at protecting growers’ interests while ensuring efficient movement of produce.
Zargar said greater use of rail freight could strengthen the transportation and marketing system for horticultural produce, reduce logistical difficulties and facilitate timely movement of fruit to markets outside Jammu and Kashmir.
The consultation was held in pursuance of directions from the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, with the objective of identifying efficient, economical and reliable transportation options for the horticulture sector, particularly during the peak fruit season.
All Valley President Bashir Ahmad Bashir welcomed the initiative, saying rail transportation would provide growers with an additional option for moving their produce. He stressed the need for continued coordination among stakeholders.
The department said closer coordination among Northern Railway, horticulture authorities, market committees, growers, traders, aggregators and logistics operators would be necessary. It also stressed timely dissemination of information on freight services, booking procedures and loading and unloading arrangements.
The Directorate said it would facilitate a coordinated mechanism to increase the use of railway freight, with the broader aim of reducing dependence on road transport and ensuring timely movement of perishable horticultural produce to major consuming markets.
It said the mechanism would also seek to safeguard the interests of fruit growers and traders of Jammu and Kashmir.
(KNS)
25,000 MT Apples Moved by Rail Last Season from J&K
