Srinagar: The Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Cum Dealers Union has urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to announce a financial package for fruit growers who have suffered losses due to untimely snowfall.
According to a statement issued by Chairman, KVFGD, Bashir Ahmad Basheer untimely heavy snow and rainfall have damaged and destroyed apple crop in all fruit orchards of Kashmir particularly in Kulgam and Shopian districts of South Kashmir and various areas of north and central Kashmir as well.
“It is unfortunate that the untimely heavy snow and rainfall has also been one of the worst experiences for the horticulture sector with unbearable losses to Kashmir based fruit growers/dealers who are otherwise also suffering heavy losses since the last several years due to one or the other reason,” he said.
“The branches of apple bearing plants of all fruit orchards particularly in Kulgam and Shopian of South Kashmir and North and Central Kashmir as well are found maximum broken causing heavy losses when it takes 10-15 years for a plant to produce a crop. The Valley Based fruit Growers/Dealers are afraid of having lost their livelihood.”
“Since there is no mechanism to measure the exact quantum of losses, but losing our basic parameters, we peg the recent losses due to untimely heavy snow and rainfall to the horticulture sector at several hundred crores of rupees.”