Srinagar, May 12: Large parts of Kashmir’s fruit-growing belt suffered extensive damage after intense hailstorms and strong winds battered orchards across north and central Kashmir on Monday evening, prompting fruit growers to demand immediate government intervention, compensation and implementation of crop insurance schemes.
According to the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Cum Dealers Union, orchards in the areas of Tangmarg, Pattan, Wagoora, Kreeri, Rafiabad, Baramulla and the Kangan belt of central Kashmir suffered severe losses after hailstones and stormy winds struck for several minutes.
The union said the storm damaged hundreds of apple orchards and caused heavy destruction to fruit crops at a crucial stage of the horticulture season, affecting the livelihoods of thousands of orchard owners and workers dependent on the horticulture sector.
The growers’ body also said that orchards in south Kashmir districts of Shopian and Kulgam had suffered similar damage from hailstorms a few days earlier.
Fruit growers reported that strong winds, lightning, thunderstorms and hailstorms caused widespread destruction in orchards, with many farmers fearing substantial losses in apple production this year.
The union described horticulture as a major pillar of Kashmir’s economy and said repeated weather-related disasters were severely impacting the region’s fruit industry, which supports lakhs of families.
Expressing concern over the absence of safety mechanisms for orchardists, the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Cum Dealers Union said the non-implementation of the Crop Insurance Scheme and the absence of the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) had worsened the difficulties faced by growers during natural calamities.
The organisation said it had repeatedly urged the government to extend crop insurance coverage to the horticulture sector in Jammu and Kashmir to protect orchardists from financial distress caused by weather-related disasters.
The union appealed to Manoj Sinha and the Jammu and Kashmir government to immediately implement a crop insurance scheme for horticulture, reintroduce the Market Intervention Scheme and announce a comprehensive compensation package for affected orchard owners.
It also sought directions for officials of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, the Horticulture Department and Horticulture Planning and Marketing Department to conduct an immediate assessment of losses caused by the hailstorm.
The union said most orchard owners in Kashmir are marginal growers whose livelihoods and household expenses depend entirely on income generated from fruit orchards, making natural disasters particularly devastating for rural families.
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