Hailstorm wreaks havoc on apple orchards in Shopian, Pulwama

Shopian, June 8:  An intense hailstorm late Friday evening lashed several villages of south Kashmir’s Shopian and Pulwama districts, causing damage to hundreds of apple farms.

The hailstorm hit several villages in the upper reaches of the twin districts.

The farmers from Shopian's Kellar area said that the hailstorm lasted for three to five minutes, causing damage to apple farms in the area.

Muhammad Ashraf Wani, an orchardist from Kellar, said that hail pellets caused around 15 to 20 percent damage to the fruit.

It is the second time in recent times that the district experienced a hailstorm.

On April 20, over half a dozen villages were hit by an intense hailstorm, wreaking havoc on apple orchards.

Many apple growers from Abhama, Sangarwani, and Achgooza villages of the Pulwama district also said that the hailstones caused significant damage to their apple farms.

Muhammad Yawar, an affected orchardist from far-off Abahma village said that the hailstorm lasted around 5 minutes, causing damage to both the fruit and leaves.

“The pea-sized hailstones caused substantial damage to my apple farm, sprawling over 8 kanal,” he said.

Many farmers in the area said that the hailstorm caused around 30 to 40 percent damage to the crop in the area.

They appealed to the authorities to assess the loss and provide them with adequate compensation.