Hailstorm wreaks havoc on Kashmir’s apple belt

Shopian, Apr 19: On Friday evening, pitch-dark clouds loomed over the skies of south Kashmir’s Shopian district and within minutes, a heavy downpour began.

Soon, chickpea-sized hailstones began drumming loudly on the tin roof of Ghulam Muhammad, spurring him to open a window of his two-storied home to look outside.

“After hitting the ground, the hailstones bounced and scattered in a wild, chaotic dance,” Muhammad said.  “I shut the window and began praying rigorously for the hailstorm to pass immediately.”

As the rattling sound went on, Ahmad put his hands on his ears and continued praying.

The storm stopped after at least 10 minutes, spelling doom for apple farms in his quaint Kellar village.

The apple farms in the upper reaches of the district were in a crucial flowering stage, while the petal fall had occurred in the low-lying areas.

“The hailstorm lashed almost the entire district, leaving a trail of devastation,” said Tariq Ahmad, a well-heeled apple cultivator from Shopian.

The most affected villages included Kellar, Balpora, Shirmal, Kanipora, Shadab Karewa, Sedow, Chotipora, Donwani, Poshpora, and Nazimpora.

The hailstorm also lashed dozens of other villages, including Pinjoora, Pargochi, Pahnoo, Trenz, Imam Sahab, Kachdora, Dangam, Wangam, Rukpora, and Hanjipora.

“The damage to the farms in our area exceeds 60 percent,” said a farmer from Balpora, his voice heavy with despair.

He said that his orchard was his only source of income, and the destruction had dealt a severe blow to his sustenance.

In the low-lying areas, where the petal fall had already occurred, the intense rainfall followed by hail severely damaged the leaves and buds.

“This will have a direct impact on the yield – both this year and the next,” Ahmad said.

He said that in the upper reaches, the hailstorm caused damage to the blossom.

Amidst rains, MLA Shopian Shabir Ahmad Kullay, along with a team from the Horticulture Department visited various affected areas to assess the damage.

“The most affected villages are Kanipora, Shirmal, Donwani, Balpora, and Poshpora,” Kullay told  Greater Kashmir over the phone.

He pegged the damage in these villages at 60 to 70 percent.

Kullay demanded adequate compensation and comprehensive insurance schemes for the affected farmers.

He also called for a waiver on the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) loans for the affected farmers.

“They are reeling under heavy debt. The government must step in and provide them relief,” he said.

In the neighbouring Kulgam district, the intense hailstorm lashed multiple apple villages including Noorabad, Guddar, Ashmuji, Behibah, and Malwan.

“The hailstorm hit the area at multiple intervals on Saturday, causing damage to apple farms,” said Javed Ahmad, a farmer from Kulgam.

President of the Apple Farmers’ Federation of India (J&K), Zahoor Ahmad Rather, expressed deep concern over the extensive damage caused to apple farms by intense hailstorm and rains.

“Each year, apple farmers have to bear the brunt of weather vagaries, and in the absence of comprehensive insurance schemes, they are left vulnerable and without any financial safety net,” Rather said.

“The government should introduce a comprehensive crop insurance policy tailored to the needs of the farmers in Kashmir,” he said.

Rather said that without farmer-friendly schemes a single climate shock could incur heavy losses to the farmers.

Secretary All India Kisan Sabha, Khursheed Ahmad Bhat told Greater Kashmir that the authorities should assess the loss and provide adequate compensation to the affected farmers. He also sought crop insurance schemes for the farmers.