Shopian, Apr 20: An intense hailstorm on Saturday evening lashed several villages of south Kashmir’s Shopian district, causing significant damage to apple farms.
The hailstorm hit the apple-rich villages of Moolu, Dangerpora, Trenz, Chitragam, and Thairana.
The farmers from affected villages said that the hailstorm lasted for around 10 to 15 minutes, spelling doom for the apple orchards.
President Pesticides Association Shopian and executive member of Fruit Mandi Shopian, Peer Shabir Ahmad said that the orchards were presently in full bloom and the hailstones caused substantial damage to flowers and leaves.
“We were expecting a good crop this year, but the sudden hailstorm dashed all our hopes,” he said.
Muhammad Ashraf Wani, an orchardist from the area said that the hailstones might have caused 50 to 55 percent damage to the crop.
Soon after the hailstorm, the farmers could be seen making a beeline for their orchards to assess the loss.
Javed Ahmad, a farmer from the Trenz area, said that the hailstorm in the area lasted for around 20 minutes.
“I am assessing the loss. It seems that the damage is more than 60 percent,” Ahmad said.
The apple farmers experienced huge losses over the last few years due to the perennial closure of the Srinagar-National Highway, market glut and unseasonal snowfall.