Inclement weather takes heavy toll on orchards in Kashmir

The sudden and major hailstorm with heavy downpour has wreaked havoc on the orchards in Kashmir with  growers facing mounting losses to crores. 

Reports received from all parts of Kashmir indicate thatthere has been massive crop loss to the fruit growers and at a time whenorchards were blooming.

   

Inclement weather on Monday took the growers by surprisecompounding losses suffered by them due to recent hailstorms.

“Almost my entire harvest is ruined due to threehailstorms during last two weeks,” said a grower from Ganderbal who growsapricots, peaches and cherries at his farm.

The hail which suddenly struck on Monday afternoon, strewingthe ground with damaged fruit and broken branches has impacted the growers asthey are worried about the mounting losses.

Chairman All Kashmir fruits growers cum dealers unionBasheer Ahmad Bashir said repeated hailstorms during last few weeks has beencausing anxiety in horticulture sector as stakeholders worry about marketworthiness of fruit.

Bashir said growers have already been hit badly by frequentclosure of Jammu-Srinagar National Highway this year which deteriorated appleand cherry crop in transit.

“Hailstorm and high intensity rainfall affects the marketworthiness of the crop, be it apple or cherry. These perishables such aspresently bloomed varieties of makhmali and mishrivariety of cherry oncebattered by rains are not even fit for packing to be sent for outside mandis,”said Basheer.

As per him, in view of the frequent hailstorm and gustywinds, government must declare a natural calamity in order to compensate theaffected farmers. “Although there is no mechanism to measure the exact quantumof losses, but using our basic parameters, we peg the recent losses due to thehailstorm and rains to horticulture sector at over Rs  250 crore,” he said. 

The growers have urged SKUAST Kashmir and DirectorHorticulture development Kashmir and Director Horticulture Planning andmarketing to depute the concerned staff immediately to all affected areas ofdistrict Baramulla, Ganderbal and other areas for the purpose ofascertaining  losses suffered. They havealso demanded that fruit growers must be made aware about necessary remedialmeasures to be adopted in order to avoid any damages, diseases in the cherry,apple orchards.

Fayaz Ahmad Malik, president Sopore Fruit Mandi blamedsufferings of the agriculturists on the non-seriousness of the state governmentin implementation of crop insurance for horticulture.

Malik said Kashmir being vulnerable to natural calamitiesmust be soon provided insurance cover.

“When this sort of insurance cover can be provided forJammu, why cannot it be extended to the Valley. We have been time and againdemanding for crop insurance but it has been falling on deaf ears,” Maliksaid. 

Abdul Rahman Dar, general secretary, Fruit GrowersAssociation Ganderbal says they were already suffering losses as frequentclosure of Jammu-Srinagar national highway compels them to send their produceoutside the Valley through air cargo.

” We had a plenty of produce this year and the quality ofcherry was also nice so we were hoping that it will fetch us good prices inmandis outside . The rains and hailstorm has de-shaped the crop which makes itacceptability in markets quite less. Such quality of fruit mostly lands inprocessing plants,” said Dar.” We are already suffering losses assending the produce outside by air cargo is an added burden. Now high intensityrains has compounded our problem with regard to grading of cherry crop,” Darsaid.

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