Fruit of labour lost
Shopian, Sep 7: When the weather cleared after days of torrential rain, Mahmooda visited her apple orchard in south Kashmir’s Trich village, nearly 6 km from Pulwama town, to collect the ruby-red fruit littering the ground.
Floodwaters had swamped her apple farm and triggered a mass fruit drop while tilting many trees.
“I have lost 60 to 70 percent of my crop this season,” said Mahmooda, her hands stained from the fallen apples.
She said that any buyers she found for the fallen fruit would pay only throwaway prices.
Mahmooda is one of many orchardists across Kashmir grappling with losses after heavy rains in late August inundated apple orchards spanning thousands of kanals.
In Pulwama district, several orchards were turned into fast-flowing streams as Romshi and Lar rivulets, along with smaller streams, changed their course and swept away fields.
“Several kanal of land have been hit by the flood waters,” District Horticulture Officer, Pulwama, Shakeel-ur-Rehman told reporters during a field visit. “Field staff is visiting affected orchards to assess the losses, and we hope the government will provide adequate compensation to the farmers.”
Apple cultivation is central to Kashmir’s rural economy, providing livelihood to roughly 35 lakh people and accounting for about 8 percent of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP).
Thick apple orchards stretching from the south Kashmir districts of Pulwama and Shopian to north Kashmir areas of Sopore and Baramulla produce around 22 to 24 lakh metric tonnes annually.
The unprecedented rains struck orchards days before the harvest, spelling doom for both the crop and trees.
In neighbouring Shopian, Kulgam, and Anantnag districts, farmers reported heavy losses.
“Floodwaters submerged orchards across Shopian and Kulgam, causing massive fruit drop,” said Muhammad Ashraf Wani, president of the Fruit Mandi in Shopian.
Farmers from villages along the Lidder stream, including Sallar, Srigufwara, and Kullar, said that they suffered heavy losses.
Adding to the farmers’ troubles, the closure of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, a frequent disruption during the harvest season, has caused substantial economic losses.
“The industry faced an estimated loss of Rs 200 to Rs 250 crore due to the road closure,” Chairman of the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers and Dealers Association, Bashir Ahmad Bashir, said.
He said that the full extent of losses would be clear once stranded trucks reach markets.
Early-harvested high-density varieties, particularly Babgosha pears, suffered heavy losses due to the road closure.
In parts of north and south Kashmir, traditional Kullu apple varieties are ready for harvest, but farmers are forced to leave the fruit on trees due to prolonged closure of Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.
President of the Apple Farmers’ Federation of Jammu and Kashmir, Zahoor Ahmad Rather, said, “Climate change is taking a heavy toll on the apple industry. The government should provide timely assistance and ensure adequate crop insurance to help farmers cope with these losses.”
