KCCI sounds alarm over Kashmir fruit industry’s hail losses, urges ummediate crop insurance rollout

SRINAGAR: The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) has expressed deep concern over the extensive damage inflicted upon fruit orchards across the Valley following a wave of extreme weather events and flash floods in the Ramban district. These events have left Kashmir’s vital fruit economy reeling, with fruit growers facing substantial and potentially crippling losses.

According to preliminary assessments, districts including Shopian, Kulgam, Bandipora, Baramulla, Ganderbal, Budgam, Pulwama, and others witnessed severe hailstorms accompanied by lightning, thunder, and storm-force winds. The resulting layer of ice has decimated fruit crops, severely impacting the horticulture sector, a key pillar of the region’s economy and livelihood for thousands of families.

In a press release issued Saturday, KCCI reiterated its longstanding demand for the urgent implementation of a comprehensive crop insurance scheme tailored to Kashmir’s agricultural landscape. The Chamber emphasized that the absence of such a protective measure has compounded the misery of fruit growers, particularly marginal farmers who are financially ill-equipped to cope with natural calamities of this scale.

“The recent hailstorm and floods have dashed the hopes of thousands of fruit growers across Kashmir,” the KCCI stated. “We have engaged in continuous dialogue with the government and submitted detailed proposals stressing the need for crop insurance. Yet, no concrete steps have been taken.”

KCCI called upon the J&K administration to immediately conduct a thorough and scientific damage assessment in all affected districts. The Chamber emphasized that these surveys must include representatives from the horticulture department as well as independent agricultural experts to ensure transparency and accuracy.

Highlighting the vulnerability of marginal growers, KCCI urged the government to ensure prompt and adequate compensation. “Timely relief is essential not just to ease the immediate burden, but also to enable the rehabilitation of orchards and prevent a cascading economic impact on the broader horticulture ecosystem,” the Chamber said.

As climate change increases the frequency of such extreme weather events, KCCI emphasized that crop insurance is no longer optional but essential. The Chamber urged the government to fast-track the implementation of an inclusive insurance policy that can provide security to growers in the face of nature’s unpredictability.

The statement concludes with a call for urgent government action to safeguard the future of Kashmir’s horticulture sector, which sustains nearly a third of the region’s population directly or indirectly.