Baramulla, May 13: Hailstorm hits Baramulla hard, fruit growers report over 90 percent crop loss.
The worst-hit areas include Sangrama, Wagoora, Kreeri, Pattan, Kandi, Choondosa, Pachhaar, Tangmarg, Khaipora, kandi belt and some parts of Rafiabad, where residents reported severe damage to apple orchards and standing crops.
Locals said nearly 90 percent of fruit crops were damaged within minutes as intense hail hit the area during the peak farming season.
Eyewitnesses described heartbreaking scenes after the storm, with orchardists seen weeping while inspecting shattered fruit-bearing trees and flattened fields.
Fayaz Ahmad, a resident of Sheikhpora Wagoora, said the hail storm which continued for around 10 minutes, left the orchards across the area completely damaged and orchardists are completely devastated.
“We are devastated,” Said Ahmad. “We are unable to understand what we will do for survival now,” added Ahmad.
Farmers said they were expecting a promising harvest this year, but the sudden hailstorm destroyed months of hard work and investment.
“Everything has been ruined. We have suffered huge losses,” said a grower from Kreeri”.
The hailstorm, which struck late Tuesday evening, triggered panic across several villages as large hailstones pounded orchards and vegetable farms for a considerable duration.
Residents and growers have appealed to the administration and concerned departments to immediately conduct damage assessments and provide compensation and relief to affected families.
