Repeated hailstorms devastate Kashmir orchards; growers seek compensation, crop insurance

Ziraat Times Team Report

Srinagar, May 23: Widespread hailstorms across several parts of Kashmir have caused extensive damage to fruit orchards, triggering fresh concerns among growers over mounting losses and deepening financial distress in the Valley’s horticulture sector.

According to the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Cum Dealers Union, a fresh spell of strong hailstorm on Friday severely affected orchards in parts of north and south Kashmir, particularly in Sopore and Rafiabad areas of Baramulla District as well as several villages in Tral area of Pulwama District and parts of Shopian District.

The growers’ body said the latest weather event was the third major hailstorm to hit the affected districts in recent weeks and the second consecutive spell in Rafiabad, leaving behind widespread destruction in orchards at a crucial stage of fruit development.

Several villages in Rafiabad, including Watergam, Lessar, Dandiwacha, Dandoosa and Hadipora, were among the worst affected, with reports of developing apples falling from trees and fruit-bearing branches getting damaged under the impact of intense hail. Orchards in parts of Ganderbal District and Bandipora District were also reportedly affected.

Growers described scenes of devastation as orchards turned white under heavy hail accumulation within minutes. The union said the storm destroyed months of labour and investment and caused severe losses to orchard owners already struggling from earlier hailstorms and strong winds that hit the Valley on April 18 and May 12 this year.

The union noted that several areas of Baramulla district, including Sangrama, Wagura, Kreeri, Pattan, Kandi and Tangmarg, had also suffered extensive orchard damage earlier this week due to severe hailstorm and gusty winds.

Expressing concern over repeated weather-related disasters, the growers said the back-to-back hailstorms were threatening not only this year’s fruit harvest but also the fragile rural economy dependent on horticulture.

The organization said horticulture remains the backbone of Jammu and Kashmir’s economy, supporting lakhs of people directly and indirectly while also generating employment opportunities for youth. However, it alleged that no comprehensive assessment of losses had yet been carried out by the government despite repeated weather calamities in north, central and south Kashmir.

The growers’ body also expressed concern over the absence of a crop insurance scheme and market intervention mechanism for the horticulture sector, saying orchardists — particularly marginal growers — were being pushed deeper into debt after every natural disaster.

The union said nearly 90 percent of fruit growers in Kashmir are small and marginal orchard owners whose livelihoods and household expenses depend entirely on orchard income.

Led by Chairman Bashir Ahmad Basheer, the union appealed to Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to announce immediate relief measures.

The demands raised by the growers include immediate implementation of a crop insurance scheme for the horticulture sector in Jammu and Kashmir, reintroduction of the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS), and announcement of a comprehensive compensation package for orchard owners affected by the hailstorms during April and May 2026.