[Reader-list] No money from PoK, so no apples: Kashmiris

[Aditya Raj Kaul]

No money from PoK, so no apples: Kashmiris

Mir Ehsan
Indian Express

 Posted online: February 05, 2009 at 2036

Link -
http://www.kashmirlive.com/story/3-months-on-Kashmirs-fruit-growers-lose-interest-in-PoK/419704.html


*Srinagar *Kashmir's Fruit Growers, who organised massive protests for
opening of the Srinagar-Muzuffarabad road for the trade activities, now have
stopped sending their apple consignments to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).


In Oct, 2008, cross LoC trade through Kaman Bridge on the
Srinagar-Muzuffarabad road was started amid much fanfare. On the first day,
14 apple laden trucks crossed the bridge.

Three months later, the fruit trade had hit the road block as Valley growers
have completely stopped dispatching their apples to Muzuffarabad.

General Manager, DIC Mohammad Ashraf Wani who also is custodian for the
cross LoC trade confirmed that no apple truck was sent across the LoC in the
latest cross LoC trading.

"On Tuesday, six trucks were dispatched from Kashmir to PoK. But, not a
single apple box was in the consignment," he said.

Wani, however, said the trade on barter system, continues through Uri's
Kaman Bridge on weekly basis. "So far, 6,000 apple boxes were dispatched by
the growers. But, growers seem to have lost interest in the trade through
LoC."

Before the start of cross LoC trade growers were curious to dispatch their
apples to PoK. Now, they are not.

"We were eagerly waiting for the beginning of cross LoC trade, even
dispatched thousands of apple boxes to PoK in the start. But, so far growers
have not received a single penny in lieu of the apples," President Fruit
Mandi Sopore, Bashir Beig said.

"After three months, we don't know what happened to apples in PoK," he said.


Beig said the growers have stopped sending their products to PoK. "This
time, we only dispatch our apples to different mandies of the country as the
market is good there," he said.

"The trade is useless unless government starts a permanent communication
link between two parts of Kashmir," he said.

The growers who dispatched their apples on the first day of opening of the
trade too are losing hope about future of the trade. "Unless growers are
allowed to visit to Pok, this cross LoC business is meaningless," said Javid
Ahmad, a trader who dispatched around 100 apple boxes on October 20, 2008.

"I don't know what happened to my apples in PoK. Government has to do more
to sustain this trade, otherwise in coming months no trade will take place
via Kaman bridge. "

There is other reason that compelled growers not to dispatch their apples to
PoK as the growers were offered lucrative rates by the Delhi based traders.
"Soon after the cross LoC trade started, the rates of apples have gone up,"
said Beig, adding that this year all the losses got compensated by good
rates.

Before the start of trade, the Union Ministry of Commerce has approved a
list of 23 items from Kashmir. Pakistan, too, had sent a list of 26 items.
The items from the Indian side include fruit (fresh and dry), spices,
saffron, carpets, wall hangings, woolens, aromatic and medicinal plants,
Cricket bats, black mushrooms, green tea, imli, dhania, rajmah.