Srinagar: Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Cum Dealers Union and the New Kashmir Fruit Association have expressed their serious concern for the recurrent hailstorms in Kashmir and their impact on the fruit industry.
As reported by Ziraat Times earlier, hailstorms in South and North Kashmir areas during the last five days especially have wrecked havoc with fruit orchards and agricultural crops.
Speaking to Ziraat Times, Bashir Ahmad Basheer, chairman and president of the union and the association – an elected apex body of all fruit associations of the Valley – said that the fruit growers union has received large number of distress calls from various Fruit Associations of north and south Kashmir regarding the strong and heavy hailstorm on 14 May.
“As per the information received the hailstorms have hit walnut trees and fruit orchards of Handwara, Kupwara, Baramulla, Sopore, Kulgam, Shopian and other connected villages and have causing heavy damages to poor fruit growers and dealers, who are extremely worried about the heavy losses”, Mr Basheer said.
“In the current pandemic conditions, it may not be possible at this moment to access the actual losses to the fruit orchards due to strong hailstorm. The KVFG Union has appealed the government machinery from time to time and also the Lieutenant Governor for the introduction of Crop Insurance Scheme for fruit growers so that the valley-based fruit growers/dealers could heave a sigh of relief. It is unfortunate that MI Scheme has not been introduced so far”, he said.
In view of this situation, the apex union of fruit growers of Kashmir has appealed the J&K administration:
- To depute joint team of expert officers of SKUAST/ Horticulture Development Kashmir and Horticulture Planning and Marketing Kashmir to all those villages of south and north Kashmir areas of the valley for immediate assessment of loses of fruit orchards due to recent and heavy hailstorm.
- Announcement of immediate package of compensation of losses to poor fruit growers.
- Introduction of Crop Insurance Scheme.
- Remedial measures for protecting the fruit orchards from any spread of any sort of diseases in view of recent hailstorm.
