Indian Railways has given Kashmir's cherry producers a better deal—a 33-hour express route from orchard to Mumbai—while Middle East tensions drive up the cost of petrol and diesel.
The first "Cherry Special Parcel Van" of the season left Jammu and headed directly to Bandra Terminus with 12 tonnes of the Valley's best, deep-red cherry. This implies that the sweetness of the Valley, which was previously restricted by distance and diesel, will suddenly shine on dishes all over the nation.Northern Railway is guaranteeing that Jammu and Kashmir's delicate "red gold" reaches the nation's largest fruit market while still farm-fresh by reducing transit time and expense, according to Uchit Singhal, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Jammu.

The package truck was linked to the passenger train and held 966 cartons of freshly picked cherries.Speed is important. Cherries bruise quickly, and their flavour and cost decrease with each hour they are removed from the tree. The horticulture department's deputy director of planning and marketing, Arvind, stated that shipping it by rail saves money and time.One of the fruit growers stated, "Rail becomes the farmer's friend when diesel becomes more expensive.
Indian Railways is dedicated to providing J&K orchardists with a fair price and a national market, according to Singhal.Cherries are perishable and very sensitive. We have used sophisticated logistics to overcome the problem of delivering it to Mumbai in a matter of hours. This season, we have enough parcel vans and resources to satisfy every demand," Singhal continued.

There is a lot of enthusiasm. In addition to the 12-ton load today, 18 tonnes have already been shipped this season. Railways has reserved 28 more VP indents from the stations in Jammu and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra.
Big players aren't the only ones. In order to enable small and medium-sized traders to convey low-volume consignments in a safe and economical manner, Singhal stated that SLR coach space on regular trains will continue.
Rail's modest fees are a lifesaver when road freight costs are skyrocketing owing to the West Asia issue. Faster delivery increases growers' prices while reducing waste and improving shelf life.