Sopore, Sept. 15 -- Fruit markets across Kashmir remained locked on Monday after traders and orchardists staged demonstrations against the government's inability to guarantee unhindered travel for trucks carrying apples and other produce along the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.

The closure, called jointly by growers' associations, witnessed large gatherings at Soporethe Valley's biggest fruit hub where distressed orchardists appealed for urgent intervention.

Witnesses described heart-rending moments as farmers, worried about their year's harvest decaying inside stranded vehicles, wept openly while addressing the crowd.

At the protest site, the head of the fruit growers' body, Fayaz Ahmad, launched a sharp attack on government, saying...