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Hailstorm damages apple orchards in south Kashmir

The farmers from the affected village said the hailstorm lasted for around 7 to 10 minutes, spelling doom for apple orchards.
06:15 AM Jul 06, 2024 IST | Gulzar Bhat
hailstorm damages apple orchards in south kashmir
Fruit Growers seek aid after hailstorm devastates apple crop in Shopian_Representational image
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Shopian, July 5: An intense hailstorm on Friday lashed the Heerpora village of south Kashmir’s Shopian district, causing significant damage to apple farms.

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The farmers from the affected village said the hailstorm lasted for around 7 to 10 minutes, spelling doom for apple orchards.

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Jahangir Ahmad, an apple cultivator from the area, said that the hailstones caused substantial damage to both the fruit and leaves.

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“The pea-sized hailstones continued for nearly 10 minutes, damaging at least 40 to 45 percent of my crop,” Ahmad said.

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Another distressed farmer pegged the damage at 50 percent. Over the last two months, scores of apple-producing villages in the district experienced intense hailstorms.

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The apple farmers and traders were already grappling with huge financial losses due to significant price drop, spurred by the imports from the US, Iran, and South Africa.

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President Apple Farmers’ Federation of India (AFFI), J&K Chapter, Zahoor Ahmad Rather demanded adequate compensation for the affected farmers. “We once again emphasise the need for crop insurance,” Rather said.

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