Kashmir experienced a spell of unsettled weather on Saturday, with temperatures remaining above normal at several stations even as hailstorms battered apple-growing areas of south Kashmir’s Shopian and Kulgam districts and heavy rain inundated parts of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district.
The hailstorm struck nearly a dozen villages in Shopian, including Pandoshan, Mandujan, Feripora, Kanjiullar, Ramnagri and Kaprin, leaving apple growers worried about further losses during the crucial harvesting season.
Farmers said the hailstorm lasted around five to seven minutes but was intense enough to damage both trees and fruit.
“The hailstones stripped the apple trees of their leaves and caused bruises on the fruit,” said Abdul Rashid, an apple grower from Mandujan.
He said orchards in the area had already suffered repeated weather shocks this season.
“This is the third time that hail has hit our orchards. Every time we think the weather will remain stable, another spell causes damage,” Rashid said.
The latest hailstorm comes less than three weeks after a similar spell on August 6, when strong winds accompanied by hail knocked apples from trees across several villages in Shopian. Some farmers had estimated losses from that episode at as much as 90%.
Director Horticulture Kashmir Vikas Anand, who visited the affected areas last week, had also said that some villages had suffered damage of nearly 90%.
For growers, the repeated weather events have heightened concerns over the lack of an effective mechanism to protect them from crop losses.
Apple is the economic lifeline of Shopian, with more than 85% of the district’s population dependent on the fruit for their livelihoods. The apple economy in Jammu and Kashmir is estimated at around Rs 12,000 crore and supports hundreds of thousands of people across the value chain.
“In the absence of crop insurance, farmers are left to bear the entire loss whenever hailstorms or other extreme weather events hit,” said Gulzar Ahmad, another grower from Shopian.
“At least the government should provide anti-hail nets to farmers at subsidised prices. That is the bare minimum that can be done to protect orchards,” he said.
Farmers have for years been seeking a comprehensive crop insurance scheme to cover losses caused by hailstorms, heavy rain and other weather-related events.
In neighbouring Kulgam district, hailstorms also hit Chuglapora, Kund and parts of the main town, damaging apple orchards.
“The hailstorm has again caused damage to the apple crop. The upper belt of the district has been hit multiple times this season,” said Mohammad Shafi, an apple grower.
Meanwhile, in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, an intense spell of rain lashed Sanzipora village, inundating streets and disrupting movement. Rainwater also entered a government higher secondary school in the area.
The weather also remained warmer than normal across parts of the Valley. Srinagar recorded a maximum temperature of 32.2°C and a minimum of 20.6°C, with the day and night temperatures 2.2°C and 3.2°C above normal, respectively.
Pahalgam recorded a maximum of 25.5°C and a minimum of 15.4°C, with the night temperature 3.1°C above normal. Gulmarg recorded a maximum of 20.8°C and a minimum of 11.4°C, with the daytime temperature marginally above normal while the minimum remained near normal.
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