Kashmir Impulse Desk

Srinagar, May 22 

Repeated hailstorms and extreme weather events across Kashmir have damaged orchards and standing crops this season, leaving farmers facing mounting losses and renewed calls for crop insurance as many say they are sinking deeper into debt.

Residents in several villages in Tral area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district woke before dawn on Friday to hailstones pounding rooftops, orchards, paddy and vegetable fields during a fresh spell of rain that struck crops at a critical stage of growth.

The hailstorm affected Nagbal, Zaradihar, Machama, Chankitaar, Mandoora, Panner Jageer and adjoining villages, damaging apple blossoms and vegetable crops, local residents said.

“The storm damaged orchards and vegetable fields across the area,” said Mudasir Ahmad, a farmer from Tral.

Across the Valley, growers say rainfall between March and September is increasingly being accompanied by hailstorms, lightning, thunder and strong winds, unlike earlier years when rain was more prolonged and less destructive.

“Hailstorms and lightning occurred earlier too, but not this frequently,” said Imran Ahmad, an orchardist from Shopian. “There was a time when rain continued for days without causing much damage. Now almost every rainfall brings destruction.”

Horticulture, especially apple cultivation, is a key pillar of Kashmir’s economy and supports thousands of households across districts including Shopian, Sopore, Kulgam and the Bijbehara-Srigufwara belt.

Farmers say repeated weather shocks over the past few years have increased crop losses and debt burdens, particularly in the absence of a crop insurance scheme.

Over the past three months, orchards and standing crops in north, central and south Kashmir have been hit by repeated spells of rain and hail. On April 6, hailstorms damaged orchards in several villages in Kulgam and Shopian districts.

“We spend lakhs of rupees on sprays and fertilisers through Kisan Credit Card loans. One hailstorm wipes everything out,” said Ghulam Muhammad, a 65-year-old orchardist from Kulgam. “This year it hit us during flowering. Last year it came when the fruit was ready.”

G M Banday, president of the Fruit Growers Association South Kashmir, said the April hailstorms struck orchards during full bloom, causing extensive damage.

“In some areas the damage was total, while in others it was 70 to 80 percent,” Banday said, adding that more than 100 villages in Shopian and Kulgam had been affected in recent months.

By Friday evening, fresh hailstorms were also reported from Bandipora and Rafiabad in north Kashmir, where growers said orchards and standing crops suffered further losses.

In Shopian district, an intense pre-dawn hailstorm hit several apple-producing villages including Pinjora, Largam, Gagren, Kanipora and parts of Zainapora, damaging fruit and foliage.

Muhammad Abild Wani, orchardist and president of Fruit Mandi Shopian, said preliminary estimates suggested losses of 15 to 20 percent, though a detailed assessment was still needed.

The latest storm was the third hailstorm to hit Shopian this season, adding to growers’ concerns over continuing weather instability.

“Every year we face losses due to hailstorms, heavy rains or other weather events. There is no effective safety net for apple growers,” said Javed Ahmad, an orchardist from Shopian. “If the government wants to safeguard the horticulture sector, it must introduce a practical and affordable crop insurance scheme.”

In Baramulla district’s Rafiabad area, a fresh hailstorm swept through Watergam, Lessar, Dangiwacha, Dandoosa, Hadipora and adjoining villages on Friday, damaging developing apples and fruit-bearing branches.

“The hailstorm was so intense that apples started falling from the trees instantly. Growers have suffered massive losses yet again,” said Muhammad Liyaqat, a fruit grower.

The repeated weather events have also caused deaths, livestock losses and damage to infrastructure across Kashmir in recent weeks.

Lightning killed 107 sheep and goats in Pahalgam’s Lehandejan area on May 20, while another strike on May 11 killed more than 60 livestock in Ganderbal district. A cloudburst in Bandipora recently triggered flash floods and damaged roads in several villages.

Scientists and weather officials linked the increase in such events to rising temperatures and changing climatic conditions.

Officials said broad weather forecasts can be issued in advance, but predicting highly localised hailstorms and cloudbursts remains difficult.

However, farmers said the lack of financial protection has left them exposed.

“Without insurance, farmers are left to suffer on their own. We barely make ends meet to support our families,” said Suhail Ahmad.