Gowher Bhat
SRINAGAR, March 26, 2025 – The market hums with the same old rhythm, but something’s shifted. Prices climb higher, sneaking up like an uninvited guest. One day, a bag of rice was manageable; now, it’s a quiet punch to the gut. You can’t recall when it started, but the strain of every trip to the bazaar is undeniable. In Kashmir, this creeping inflation has settled in, and it’s starting to feel like the new normal—though it doesn’t sit right.
The economy here is a tightrope. Essentials—rice, flour, vegetables, cooking oil—cost more every month. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Jammu and Kashmir hit 6.8% in late 2024, up from 5.6% in 2023, according to the National Statistical Office. Food inflation, the heaviest burden, spiked to 8.2% last year, driven by vegetables and pulses. But it’s not just numbers. It’s the air—thick with worry, as if one misstep could leave you empty-handed. How long can you stretch what’s left?
Economic Snapshot:Growth with a Catch
Kashmir’s economy is growing—tourism boomed with 2.11 million visitors in 2024, per the J&K Tourism Department—but inflation claws at the gains. Families feel the pinch despite the headlines. The cost of living is outpacing wages, and for many, survival trumps statistics.
Take Bashir Ahmad, a street vendor in Srinagar’s Lal Chowk. He’s been selling collard greens and tomatoes from his cart for a decade. “I used to charge Rs. 20 a bunch,” he says, wiping sweat from his brow. “Now it’s Rs. 35, and people grumble. But I pay more to get it here—fuel’s up, trucks are pricier. I’m not making extra; I’m just trying to eat.” His tired eyes scan the crowd. He doesn’t beg you to buy; he knows you will. Options are few.
Across the road, Nusrat Begum runs a small dry goods shop in Habba Kadal. She greets you with a smile, remembers your kids’ names, but her shelves tell a different story. Once stacked with oil, sugar, and spices, they’re now sparse. “Transportation costs doubled,” she sighs. “A 5-liter can of oil that cost Rs. 600 in 2023 is Rs. 850 now. Fewer trucks come, and diesel’s Rs. 95 a liter—up 15% from last year.” You see it in the price tags: every item stings a little more.
Transportation and Supply Chain Woes
Fuel prices and supply chain snags are the culprits. Diesel hit Rs. 95 per liter in J&K by early 2025, a ripple from global oil trends and local logistics hiccups. With Kashmir relying heavily on imports—80% of food and fuel trucked in, per a 2024 J&K Economic Survey—every hike hits hard. Snow-blocked roads in winter and fewer drivers willing to brave the routes only tighten the squeeze.
You crunch the numbers in your head. Buy less rice today, maybe it lasts. But what if it runs out? What’s left to skip? It’s a loop—need versus means—and it’s slipping out of reach. Experts point to global commodity spikes and limited local production. Kashmir grows apples and saffron, but rice and oil come from outside, leaving wallets vulnerable.
A Market Resigned to the Rise:
The bazaar’s changed. Haggling’s faded—no one bothers. Prices are set, take it or leave it. A passerby, Zahoor Lone, shrugs as he walks by with a bag of potatoes. “I paid Rs. 50 a kilo today. Last month, it was Rs. 40. I didn’t argue—I can’t grow them myself.” The silence is louder than the cost. Have we all just given up?
Life bends under this weight. You plan around meals now—less tea, no biscuits, fewer outings. For Mohammad Shafi, a daily-wage laborer in Anantnag, it’s personal. “I earn Rs. 500 a day when there’s work,” he says, balancing a sack of flour. “A month ago, this cost Rs. 1,200. Now it’s Rs. 1,500. My wife skips meals so the kids don’t. We’re not living, just holding on.” Inflation’s turned his budget into a high-wire act.
The Hidden Toll:
The kids don’t get it. They ask for sweets; you say no. It stings—a small ache that grows. Some days, it feels like the cracks are showing. But look around: others have endured longer. They’re still here, faces lined with grit, smiles rare but stubborn. Economic pressure gnaws at the mind—anxiety festers, uncertainty looms. A 2024 study by the University of Kashmir found 62% of households reported heightened stress over finances, up from 45% in 2022.
Resilience Amid the Storm:
It’s routine now—juggling what you have with what you need. Hope flickers, but reality bites. You buy, you feed, you move on. What else is there? Nusrat, behind her counter, watches you leave with a half-full bag. She’s seen it before—the quiet fight playing out daily. She’ll be back tomorrow, selling what she can, just like always.
You step out, groceries tugging at your arm. Everything feels heavier, but you walk on. It’s what you do. Tomorrow, you’ll face the market again. Prices won’t budge, but you’ll adapt. You always have. That’s how it works in Kashmir today.
(Gowher Bhat is a published author, creative writer, freelance journalist, and skilled English instructor.)
