Kashmir apple growers skeptical of proposed crop insurance scheme

Srinagar, May 29: Apple growers in Kashmir have reacted cautiously to a proposed crop insurance scheme announced by the Jammu and Kashmir government, saying previous assurances failed to provide relief when weather-related disasters damaged orchards.

The response comes days after Agriculture Minister Javed Ahmad Dar said the administration was likely to roll out a crop insurance scheme across J&K within two months.

During a visit to hailstorm-hit orchards in Rafiabad and Sopore on May 23, Dar said the tendering process would begin June 1 and that the scheme could be implemented within six to eight weeks.

The government plans to introduce the Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS), under which compensation would be linked to adverse weather events rather than crop yield.

Premium costs would be shared by the Centre, the J&K administration and farmers.

The announcement follows widespread damage to orchards across Kashmir after repeated hailstorms over the past two months.

Growers in Shopian, Kulgam, Rafiabad, Bandipora, Lolab, and Ganderbal reported heavy losses, with some estimating damage at more than 80 percent.

“We have heard such promises before,” said Zahoor Ahmad Rather, president of the Apple Federation Kashmir.

Rather said apple and saffron growers were excluded when the Pradhan MantriFasalBimaYojana was extended to Jammu and Kashmir in 2017, while crops such as paddy, wheat, maize and oilseeds were covered.

“A brief hailstorm can destroy the livelihood of a small farmer,” he said. “If the government is serious, it should first conduct a proper study and then bring insurance companies on board.”

Fayaz Ahmad Malik, president of the Sopore Fruit Mandi Association, said growers were questioning the timing of the announcement.

“If funds had already been allocated, the scheme should have been rolled out earlier in March only,” Malik said. “After the losses suffered this year, it is difficult to see how growers will benefit from it immediately.”

He said insurance companies had previously been reluctant to participate without adequate guarantees from the government.

G M Banday, president of the Fruit Growers Association in Kulgam, said growers would wait for the formal notification before assessing the scheme.

“We have seen assurances in the past that did not materialize,” Banday said.

The lack of crop insurance has compounded losses from increasingly erratic weather, growers said.

Ghulam Nabi Bhat, a 70-year-old orchardist from Nihama in Kulgam district, said hail damaged his seven-kanal orchard while the trees were in bloom.

“We spend lakhs on sprays and fertilisers through Kisan Credit Card (KCC) loans. One hailstorm wipes out everything,” Bhat said. “This year it hit during flowering. Last year it came when the fruit was ready.”

Growers said weather patterns in Kashmir have become increasingly unpredictable, with untimely hailstorms, thunderstorms and heavy rainfall damaging orchards during critical stages of flowering and fruit development.

“Hailstorms and lightning occurred earlier too, but not this frequently,” said Abdul Rashid, an orchardist from Shopian. “There was a time when rain continued for days without causing much damage. Now almost every rainfall brings destruction.”

Kashmir’s horticulture sector, driven largely by apple cultivation, supports thousands of families across the Valley and contributes significantly to the region’s economy.

Bhat said growers would wait to see whether the government’s latest promise translates into relief on the ground.