Apple growers in Shopian count losses after intense hailstorm

Shopian, May 29: Bashir Ahmad, an apple farmer, stood holding damaged apples knocked off trees by an intense hailstorm in Pehlipora village of south Kashmir’s Shopian district.

“All my hard work was ruined in a jiffy,” Ahmad said as he collected fallen apples in his pheran.

For Ahmad, who belongs to the marginalised Gujjar community, and many other farmers in the village, the apple crop had appeared promising until Saturday afternoon, when a sudden hailstorm battered the area and damaged orchards within minutes.

At least three villages—Pehlipora, Dunaroo and Zampathri—were hit by the hailstorm, which lasted between seven and 10 minutes.

The chickpea-sized hailstones spelt doom for apple orchards in the area, dashing the hopes of hundreds of farmers.

“The hailstorm has caused significant damage to apple orchards in these villages,” MLA Shopian Shabir Ahmad Kullay told Greater Kashmir.

Kullay, who visited the affected villages on Friday morning, said farmers would continue to suffer such losses unless a comprehensive crop insurance scheme is introduced.

“It has been a long-standing demand of farmers. The apple industry is the economic lifeline for over 80 percent of people in Shopian and contributes nearly 8 percent to the GDP,” Kullay said.

He demanded that farmers be provided hail nets at subsidised rates and that a crop insurance scheme be introduced without further delay.

The latest weather event marks the fourth hailstorm to hit the district this season, adding to the anxieties of growers who fear further losses if adverse weather conditions persist.

Farmers said the recent hailstorm has deepened uncertainty at a crucial stage of the apple season, with many fearing additional losses if erratic weather continues. They said repeated spells of rain and hail could damage fruit quality, reduce market value and affect overall returns later in the season.

Shopian, one of Kashmir’s major apple-producing districts, plays a key role in the Valley’s horticulture economy, sustaining thousands of farming families and generating significant employment through cultivation, packaging, transportation and trade.