Srinagar, Aug 6: Bangladesh crisis is giving sleepless nights to Kashmiri fruit growers as apple exports take a big hit.
Bangladesh is one of the potential markets for early apple varieties of Kashmir including American, Red Delicious, Dilruba, Dilnasheen, and others.
Given the unrest in the neighboring country, growers and dealers fear exports may take a big hit.
“By next week, we will have some fresh varieties of apples ready to sell at Sopore fruit mandi and other markets. We usually get buyers from Bangladesh during this time. Since there is unrest in Bangladesh, we can’t ship our apples till the situation improves there,” said President Sopore Fruit Mandi Fayaz Ahmad Malik.
He said the dealers shipped a few trucks of early varieties but later snapped the trade given unrest.
“Eight to 10 truckloads of apple was shipped some days before. However, the trade was suspended due to unrest. Demand for Kashmiri apples has also dropped in Bangladesh,” he said.
Malik said that more than 70 percent of the American apple variety from north Kashmir is shipped to Bangladesh annually.
“Of 300000MT apples produced in north Kashmir, 2.5 lakh MT is being exported to Bangladesh. Bangladesh has proved to be a strong market for Kashmiri apples. Dealers and growers get good rates from Bangladesh traders where apples are in good demand,” he said.
The dealers said that more than 30 trucks loaded with apples leave for Bangladesh on an average daily during the season.
The growers are also in a fix regarding the prospectus buyers for their produce. “We usually sell our American variety to buyers from Bangladesh. Some early varieties too have a good demand in Bangladesh which under current circumstances can’t be exported. We have been told by dealers that we should wait for a few more days till the situation improves in Bangladesh,” said Ghulam Qadir Bhat, a grower.
Usually, dealers from Bangladesh camp from August till October in Kashmir and buy a few varieties of apples from various mandis of the valley.
Pertinently, the demand for Kashmiri apples in Bangladesh has increased significantly in recent years, making it a potential market for the fruit.
To meet the rising demand, exporters from Kashmir have been actively collaborating with Bangladeshi distributors and retailers to establish a seamless supply chain.
This partnership has not only benefited the apple growers in Kashmir but has also opened new avenues for economic collaboration between the two regions.
