Shopian, May 24: A sudden fury of hailstorms lashed several villages in south Kashmirís Shopian and Kulgam districts on Sunday, battering hundreds of apple orchards in these areas.
At around 2 pm, a hailstorm struck Padpawan, Bhorihalan, Sedow, and Heerpora villages in Shopian district, spelling doom for vast apple farms, the economic lifeline for thousands of farmers.
The farmers from the affected areas said that a hailstorm followed by rains inflicted significant damage on apple orchards.
The hailstorm lasted more than 10 minutes and caused significant damage, Irshad Ahmad, a farmer, said.
He said that it was the third time that the district had been hit by a hailstorm.
The farmer pegged the extent of damage between 10 to 15 percent.
However, he said that the exact percentage of damage was not known immediately.
It is still raining. We have not yet been able to visit our farms, said another farmer from Seow village.
In neighbouring Kulgam district, pea-sized hailstones wreaked havoc on apple farms in multiple villages.
Farmers from Watoo, Manzgam, Ahrabal, Tangmarg, and several other villages in D H Pora said that the hailstones caused significant damage to apple farms.
The hailstones stripped apple trees of leaves, said Aqib, a farmer from D H Pora.
Hailstorms diminish the quality of fruit and the damaged produce is later sold in the market at throwaway prices.
Kashmir produces around 2 million metric tonnes of apples annually with around 3.5 million people directly or directly relying on the industry for their livelihood.
President of the Apple Farmers Federation of India (Jammu and Kashmir), Zahoor Ahmad Rather told Greater Kashmir that in the absence of a crop insurance scheme and other protective measures, farmers continue to suffer recurring losses.
The government must roll out comprehensive and pro-farmer schemes to save the beleaguered apple industry, Rather said.
He also demanded adequate compensation for the affected farmers.
The authorities provide peanuts in the name of compensation. We demand fair and timely financial relief that reflects the actual losses suffered by growers, he said.
