Kashmir Impulse Desk

Srinagar, May 23

Agriculture Minister Javed Ahmad Dar said on Saturday the government was likely to roll out a crop insurance scheme in the union territory within the next two months, while promising relief for farmers whose crops were damaged in recent hailstorms after assessment surveys are completed.

Dar made the remarks while visiting Sopore amid reports of extensive damage to orchards and agricultural fields caused by repeated hailstorms in several parts of Kashmir.

Officials from multiple departments had already begun visiting affected areas to assess losses suffered by farmers and growers, Dar told reporters.

“The department has been trying since yesterday to reach every affected area and conduct assessments. Once the final assessment is completed, relief will be provided to the affected farmers,” he said.

Dar said the government was also accelerating efforts to implement the crop insurance scheme in Jammu and Kashmir, with the bidding process set to begin on June 1.

He said the tendering and approval process was expected to be completed within one-and-a-half to two months.

The scheme has already received budgetary allocation, he said, adding that the insurance premium would be shared by the federal government, the Jammu and Kashmir administration and farmers.

On horticulture, Dar said the government was in discussions with New Delhi on a market intervention scheme for C-grade apples to support growers facing low returns.

A team from NITI Aayog visited Jammu and Kashmir two months ago and discussions were held on price support for C-grade apples, he said.

Responding to concerns over delays in extending insurance cover to apple crops, Dar said horticulture fell under a separate weather-based crop insurance framework and that apples and saffron had now been included under the proposed scheme in Kashmir.

He said successive attempts to introduce the scheme had been delayed by poor participation from insurance companies during the tendering process.

“Last year also, the process had almost been finalised, but then the Government of India revised the insurance policy framework, forcing us to issue fresh tenders,” Dar said.

He said the government hoped the fresh tendering process would conclude successfully, allowing the scheme to be implemented to protect farmers and growers from weather-related losses.