Cherries on wheels: Kashmir's delicate fruit to reach Mumbai in 32 hours

The transportation cost has been reduced by 75 percent. Due to the bumper production of cherries, another lot of cherries will be attached to a passenger train, which will start from Srinagar on June 3 carrying 24 tonnes of cherries. The smooth transportation of the cherry is a significant milestone in the promotion of the horticultural sector of the valley, reaching fruits to major markets in one and a half days.

A cherry grower, Ali Mohammad, from Srinagar hailed the railway for providing them a safer, quicker, and more cost-effective mode of transportation. “This is a very good initiative. We were waiting for this facility because the Jammu-Srinagar national highway usually remains shut due to inclement weather. This cherry cargo will help us quickly ferry our produce within 33 hours,” said Mohammad.

He said cherries from Kashmir would now be available fresh to the people in Mumbai, Kolkata, and other big cities because of the direct train connectivity. An official of the horticulture department said the planning and marketing wing had tied up with Railways.

Cherry is a delicate as well as a very perishable fruit. The new development means consumers in big cities will receive fresh cherries at their doorstep, which will increase farmers’ income due to lower transportation costs and fetching better prices.