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Hailstorm ravage Valley’s orchards; growers seek disaster year tag
Kashmir's hailstorms severely damaged the fruit industry, prompting growers to request a disaster declaration for 2026 and government relief measures.
The back-to-back hailstorms in various parts of Kashmir have caused heavy damage to fruit industry with the growers urging the government to declare the 2026 as a disaster year.
On Friday, dozens of villages in Rafiabad and Sopore witnessed a heavy hailstorm that heavily damaged orchards. Earlier, similar hailstorms were observed in Tangmarg, Pattan, Bandipora, Kulgam and Kreeri belts of the Valley, causing damage to growers.
President of Sopore fruit mandi Fayaz Ahmad, alias Kakajee, said that huge damage has been caused. “Many farmers lost the hard work of their full year. This is a natural disaster, so the government should declare the year 2026 as a disaster year if they want to save the growers,” he said.
Fruit is one of the major trades in Kashmir and contributes around 8% of J&K’s GDP. “We have been demanding a crop insurance scheme. Had the government launched the scheme, at least growers could have got compensated. It is the job of the government to save the people affiliated with the fruit trade as more than 60 to 70% of the crop has either been lost or its quality has been affected,” he said, adding that the government should announce a Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) and a waiver of KCC loans to the tune of ₹3 lakhs.
The minister for agriculture production Javid Ahmad Dar toured the hailstorm-affected areas in the Rafiabad constituency of Baramulla district to assess the damage caused to crops and orchards.
Dar interacted with the farmers, orchardists and local residents, who apprised him of the scale of losses incurred and sought immediate government intervention.
Expressing concern over the hardships faced by the farming community, he assured that all genuine cases of crop and orchard damage would be thoroughly assessed and relief measures extended in accordance with government norms.
“The welfare of farmers remains the government’s top priority. Every possible support will be provided to mitigate the losses suffered by the affected growers,” the Minister said while interacting with locals.
He directed the agriculture and horticulture department officials to immediately undertake a comprehensive field survey and submit a detailed assessment report at the earliest to facilitate timely compensation and relief measures.
The minister also instructed the concerned departments to intensify awareness campaigns among the farmers regarding modern crop protection measures, disaster mitigation practices and various government-sponsored schemes aimed at safeguarding agricultural produce from weather-related calamities
