Like vegetable growers in Central Luzon, apple farmers in Kashmir, India face the challenge of bringing their produce to distant markets amid rising fuel costs. Their difficulties are compounded by reliance on a single route — the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway linking the Himalayan region to the rest of India. When storms triggered landslides that blocked parts of the highway in August, apple trucks were stranded and tons of fruit spoiled, causing heavy losses for farmers.

An apple grower in China recently faced a similar predicament.