Agriculture and Horticulture Minister Javid Ahmad Dar on Monday informed the Legislative Assembly that the closure of the Srinagar–Jammu National Highway this year inflicted losses worth Rs 209 crore on agriculture and its allied sectors in Jammu and Kashmir.
Responding to a question raised by PDP MLA Waheed ur Rehman Parra, the Minister said that the repeated disruption of the Valley’s only all-weather road link with the rest of the country severely affected the supply chain of agricultural products. “Agriculture and its allied sectors like horticulture, sheep and sericulture witnessed cumulative losses of Rs 209 crore due to the highway closure this year,” Dar stated, as reported by Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS).
He said the prolonged blockage of the highway resulted in delayed transportation of fruits, vegetables, livestock and related produce, causing spoilage and financial distress to farmers and traders. The Minister also expressed concern over “exaggerated and misleading figures” being circulated by some individuals and urged people to rely on official assessments. He assured the House that the government was working on measures to minimize such losses in the future by improving storage, transportation and marketing facilities for perishable goods. (KINS)
