Sopore is a town located in the Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir. It houses 61 villages and 7 tehsils and is the oldest existing subdivision of J&K and also among the largest ones. Sopore town has the second-largest wholesale market in Asia. It is situated near the Wular lake, one of the largest freshwater lakes in Asia, and is nicknamed as the Apple Town of Kashmir.
During the reign of Avantivarman, Sopore was established by the Utpala engineer and irrigation minister Suyya, in 880 CE. Founded by Suyya, the town was originally called Suyyapur and later shortened as Sopore. Why is Sopore also known as the Apple Town of Kashmir? Owing to the massive apple cultivation in this town, Sopore came to be called Kashmir’s Apple Town.
Sopore During the Apple Season in Kashmir
The apple season, meaning the ripening and harvesting season for all apple varieties of Kashmir is from August to October. September is said to be the best time to visit Kashmir for apples. There are many apple orchards in Bijbehera, Shopian and of course, Kashmir’s very own apple town, Sopore. The apple gardens in Sopore attract a lot of tourists during the apple season. People visit Sopore to see the bustling apple market and visit the orchards for apple picking.
The richly growing apple trees are a sight to behold. Seeing the chirpy red apples that contrast the greens, is an unmissable experience for nature lovers and apple enthusiasts. Plus, apple picking activities are organized at different gardens in Sopore as well as other cities across Kashmir.
The Sopore fruit mandi comes abuzz with thousands of people from June to December, and this time of the year witnesses a business of over 2000 crores through auctions. Sellers reach the market in the early morning and by evening, most apples are sold to buyers across India and even abroad.
In 2019, after the revocation of the special status of J&K, the apple market in Sopore suffered major losses. Usually, 250-300 fruit trucks would leave the market daily and peak to 500-600 trucks per day during October and November. However, post-2019, the apple business in Sopore saw a decline. The fruit mandi was shut, traders from other states started returning to their native places as the apples were low-priced, and local fruit sellers and orchardists suffered due to militancy operations and Internet and communication shut down in addition to reduced sales of apples.
With the purpose of addressing these difficulties faced by the apple farmers in Sopore, the government has introduced schemes to achieve good sales of the locally grown fruit. Efforts are underway to ensure that the apple rates are such that transportation costs can be covered, so that people in Sopore who are in the business of apples will earn profits. With the effective implementation of such schemes for apple growers and traders in the town, Sopore’s fruit market will once again come alive with people rushing to buy apples and sellers filling truckloads of the fruit for sale across other Indian states and as well as other countries. The future of the apple industry in Sopore holds promise and soon it will start befitting its nickname, the Apple Town of Kashmir.
