Fruit-growers find route to PoK an inviting option

BARAMULLA: The fruit-growers and traders see the Srinagar-Muzzafarabad route as a more viable option than the existing channels. "It takes a truck 3, 5, 8 and 7 days to reach the markets of Delhi, Ahmedabad, Calcutta and Bombay respectively. But it would take us only 6 hours from Srinagar to Muzzafarabad and a day to reach the Rawalpindi markets," Bhat argues.The chances of fruit getting spoilt would thus decrease. Besides, he aspires to expand the market through Rawalpindi to the Gulf countries.
If Bhat''s vision turns out to be reality, three million people of Kashmir dependent on farming stand to grow richer. "At the moment, our gross income from fruit production is Rs 12.5 cr and it is Rs 250 crore from dry fruits, comprising 90,000 metric tonnes of walnut and 10,000 metric tonnes of almond. This will increase manifold," he forecasts.