Hailstorm lashes Shopian villages, damages apple farms

Shopian, May 22: An intense hailstorm in the wee hours of Friday lashed several villages in south Kashmir’s Shopian district, causing damage to hundreds of apple orchards.

The hailstorm hit many apple-producing villages in the plains of the district.

Farmers from Pinjora, Largam, Gagren and Kanipora told Greater Kashmir that the hailstorm lasted for 10 to 15 minutes, causing damage to orchards in the area.

Mohammad Ashraf Wani, an orchardist and president of Fruit Mandi Shopian, told Greater Kashmir that hail pellets caused around 15 to 20 percent damage to the fruit.

He, however, added that the actual loss is yet to be assessed.

This is the third time the district has experienced a hailstorm this season.

Fayaz Ahmad, an affected orchardist from Largam village, said the hailstorm lasted around 15 minutes, damaging both the fruit and leaves.

“The pea-sized hailstones caused substantial damage to my apple orchard spread over eight kanals,” he said.

Several farmers in the area said the hailstorm caused around 25 to 30 percent damage to the crop.

They appealed to the authorities to assess the losses and provide adequate compensation.