Srinagar, Sep 5 (KNS) : With Kashmir’s fruit season approaching its peak, the Directorate of Horticulture Planning and Marketing on Saturday held a stakeholder consultation in Srinagar on expanding the use of railway freight and Roll-on-Roll-off (Ro-Ro) services to transport horticultural produce to markets across the country.

Around 25,000 metric tonnes of apples were transported by rail from Kashmir during the previous season, according to the department, highlighting the growing role of the railway network as an alternative to road transportation.

The meeting, held at Rajbagh under the chairmanship of Director Horticulture Planning and Marketing Ghulam Jeelani Zargar, brought together representatives of Northern Railway, the Horticulture Department, fruit and vegetable market committees, growers’ associations, traders, aggregators and logistics service providers.
The discussions focused on how growers and traders could make greater use of railway freight during the peak season, including the existing operational mechanism, booking procedures and logistics requirements.

An Assistant Commercial Manager from Northern Railway made a presentation on the freight services available for horticultural produce from Kashmir, including the procedures for booking consignments and the requirements for using the services.

Participants also reviewed problems encountered during the previous season and discussed measures to improve the movement of fruit by rail.

The President of the Fruit Association Sopore highlighted operational and logistical bottlenecks faced during the previous season and called for timely intervention to address them, saying this would allow growers and traders to make more effective use of railway services.

Aggregators and logistics operators shared their experience of transporting fruit by rail and said they would continue to provide what they described as ethical, transparent and grower-friendly services aimed at protecting growers’ interests while ensuring efficient movement of produce.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel

Zargar said greater use of rail freight could help strengthen the transportation and marketing system for horticultural produce, reduce logistical difficulties and facilitate the timely movement of fruit to markets outside Jammu and Kashmir.

The consultation was held in pursuance of directions from the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, with the stated objective of identifying transportation options that are efficient, economical and reliable for the horticulture sector, particularly during the peak fruit season.

All Valley President Bashir Ahmad Bashir welcomed the department’s initiative, saying rail transportation would provide growers with an additional option for moving their produce and stressing the need for continued coordination among stakeholders.

The department said closer coordination would be required among Northern Railway, horticulture authorities, market committees, growers, traders, aggregators and logistics operators. It also stressed timely dissemination of information on freight services, booking procedures and loading and unloading arrangements.

The Directorate said it would facilitate a coordinated mechanism to increase the use of railway freight, with the broader aim of reducing dependence on road transportation and ensuring timely movement of perishable horticultural produce to major consuming markets.

It said the mechanism would also seek to safeguard the interests of fruit growers and traders of Jammu and Kashmir.(KNS)