Shopian: Oct 8: A hailstorm on Thursday evening lashed parts of south Kashmir’s upper reaches, damaging apple orchards just weeks before the harvesting season.
Farmers said hailstones battered Kellar, Chowan, Mastpora and Nasarpora villages at around 7 pm, causing damage to hundreds of apple orchards in the area.
Mohammad Ashraf Wani, president of the Fruit Mandi Shopian, said the hailstorm lasted for around five to seven minutes but was intense enough to damage fruit in several orchards.
“The hailstones damaged the apple crop just weeks before harvesting,” he said.
Wani said the timing of the hailstorm had added to farmers’ concerns, as the fruit was at a critical stage of maturity and even minor injuries could affect its quality and market value.
“At this stage, the apples are almost ready for harvesting. Any bruising or marks caused by hail can reduce the quality of the fruit and result in losses for growers,” he said.
Farmers in the affected villages said the hailstones hit orchards with considerable intensity, leaving visible marks on apples and causing some fruit to fall from the trees.
They said they were assessing the extent of the damage and were worried that the affected fruit could fetch lower prices in the market.
The latest hailstorm comes as growers in the upper reaches of south Kashmir are preparing for the peak apple harvesting period. The region accounts for a significant share of apple production, with thousands of farming families dependent on the crop for their annual income.
For growers, damage at this stage can be particularly costly because the fruit has already gone through most of the cultivation cycle and farmers have incurred expenses on fertilisers, pesticides, labour and orchard management.
Javed Ahmad, a farmer, said the authorities should assess the damage in the affected areas and provide assistance to growers if the losses were found to be significant.
“The farmers have already invested heavily in the crop. When a hailstorm hits just before harvesting, they have very little time to recover from the loss. The authorities should assess the affected orchards and see what support can be provided to the growers,” he said.
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