Srinagar, Sept. 10 -- Kashmir's apple orchards, a vibrant tapestry of green and red that sustains millions, are facing an unprecedented crisis. Torrential rains and devastating floods this September have ravaged the Valley's apple industry, which accounts for two-thirds of India's apple production and generates nearly Rs 10,000 crore annually. Compounding nature's wrath, repeated closures of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway-Kashmir's lifeline to national markets-have stranded truckloads of perishable fruit, pushing losses to an estimated Rs 150-200 crore and counting. For the seven lakh families who depend on this harvest, this is not just an economic blow but an existential threat.

The rains have been unrelenting, submerging orchards...