SRINAGAR, Oct. 28 -- The Jammu and Kashmir government Tuesday said that heavy rains and landslides in late August and early September this year led to the closure of National Highway-44 (NH-44), causing disruption in the transportation of horticulture produce, particularly apples, to outside markets.

In a written response in the Assembly, the government, per KNO, said that the current apple production in Kashmir for the 2025 season has been estimated at 22.15 lakh metric tonnes (MT). "The closure of NH-44 and Mughal Road severely affected the movement of fruit-laden trucks, stranding over 22,000 MT (about 2,200 trucks) along the highway as of September 17".

It said that despite the disruption, the government managed to move around 45,92...