Srinagar, Sept. 16 -- Thousands of tonnes of apples are rotting in stranded trucks along the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, with farmers across Kashmir facing huge losses as the road remains closed for the 20th consecutive day.

Visuals of spoiled fruit being dumped near the highway have gone viral on social media, highlighting the scale of damage to Kashmir's horticulture sector. Apple growers have shut down mandis and staged protests, blaming official inaction for the crisis.

Kashmir produces about 80 percent of India's apples, and horticulture is considered the backbone of its rural economy. Farmers, already hit by adverse weather earlier in the year, now find their produce stuck on the road at the peak of the harvesting season.

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