The roads of South Kashmir’s Shopian district are crowded with workers and vehicles. This district is called the apple bowl of Kashmir, and the air here is thick with the aroma of freshly picked fruit.

Ladders lean against the trunks of apple trees while workers climb into the clusters of branches, picking the reddest fruit first. Tarpaulins spread beneath the trees catch apples that fall, preventing the soil from muddying the fruit. At the edge of the orchard, men load wooden crates into waiting vehicles that take the harvest out through the gate.