Hail Fury Ravages Kashmir Orchards, Growers Stare at Ruin
Repeated storms flatten apple belts across North and South Kashmir, pushing thousands of orchardists deeper into debt
Fruit Growers Union seeks crop insurance, revival of market intervention scheme and immediate compensation package
Srinagar: Vast stretches of Kashmir’s famed apple orchards have been left battered and bruised after yet another spell of intense hailstorm ripped through several districts of the Valley, triggering panic and despair among fruit growers already struggling under mounting losses caused by repeated weather disasters this season.
Large parts of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, particularly Sopore and Rafiabad, along with orchard-rich pockets of south Kashmir’s Tral and Shopian, witnessed widespread destruction on Friday as heavy hail lashed fruit-bearing trees for several minutes, damaging developing apples and snapping tender branches at a crucial stage of the horticulture cycle.
The latest hailstorm — the third major spell to hit these regions within weeks and the second consecutive one in Rafiabad — has compounded the crisis for growers who had barely begun recovering from earlier storms and powerful winds that struck on April 18 and May 12 this year.
According to growers, villages including Watergam, Lessar, Dandiwacha, Dandoosa, Hadipora and adjoining areas in Rafiabad were among the worst affected. Similar devastation was reported from parts of Ganderbal, Bandipora and other orchard belts, where the intensity of hailstorms turned entire orchards white within minutes.
Fruit growers said the hail was so severe that apples began dropping from trees instantly, leaving behind scenes of destruction across orchards nurtured over months through relentless labour and heavy financial investment.
“This is not just crop damage; it is the collapse of an entire season’s hopes,” several orchardists said, describing the recurring storms as one of the worst weather-related crises in recent years.
The repeated hailstorms have sparked growing anxiety among fruit growers, most of whom rely entirely on horticulture for survival. Growers fear that continued weather shocks are now threatening not only this year’s harvest but also the fragile rural economy dependent on the horticulture sector.
Earlier this week, several areas of Baramulla including Sangrama, Wagura, Kreeri, Pattan, Kandi and Tangmarg had also witnessed severe damage after hailstorms accompanied by strong winds ravaged orchards across the region.
Chairman of the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Cum Dealers Union, Bashir Ahmad Basheer, said the absence of a comprehensive crop insurance mechanism and the continued non-implementation of a Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) had pushed orchardists into deep financial distress.
“Horticulture is regarded as the backbone of Jammu and Kashmir’s economy, with lakhs of people directly or indirectly dependent on it. Yet fruit growers are being left alone to bear devastating losses without any financial protection,” Basheer said.
He said nearly 90 per cent of fruit growers in Kashmir belong to the marginal category and depend entirely on orchard income to meet household expenses, education costs and daily survival needs.
Basheer urged the government to immediately implement a crop insurance scheme for the horticulture sector in Jammu and Kashmir so that growers receive timely compensation during natural disasters.
He also demanded revival of the long-pending Market Intervention Scheme for apples and sought a comprehensive compensation package for orchard owners affected by the devastating hailstorms witnessed during April and May this year.
The growers’ body appealed to Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to intervene urgently and safeguard the livelihoods of thousands of farming families facing economic ruin after repeated weather disasters.
