Gusty winds, cloud bursts and hailstorm causing collateral damage to apple orchard has intensified the waves of economic stress on Kashmir’s horticulture sector already hit by unprecedented fall in apple production during last two years of pandemic. So yet another summer of discontent has by all means intensified the increasing woes of apple orchardists in valley. The valley’s horticulture may witness come under more stress if continuing heat wave further intensifies in coming summer months like other parts of the country. The fears of continuing heat wave are panicking apple orchardist at a time when several parts of the country are also witnessing an unprecedented rise in temperatures recorded almost a century ago. Though sudden rise in temperatures is being attributed largely to the unprecedented change in weather conditions witnessed in recent years across India like many other countries of the world, but this is not the only reason for the increasing heat waves in Jammu & Kashmir like many states and union territories of the country. There are multiple underlying causes for increasing woes of apple orchardists in recent years and unless these are dealt with the increasing woes of apple orchardists would become a recurring feature in coming years. Introduction of crop insurance scheme the long pending demand of J&K’s farming community could reduce the increasing woes of apple orchardist in valley and in fact the introduction of crop insurance scheme would mostly likely change the dynamics of apple industry in Kashmir. Several popular governments of the erstwhile J&K state did not bother to do it but if the incumbent government does it would surely generate new hope of revival among the apple orchardists in Kashmir valley.
Amid increasing weather vagaries the apple orchardists pin their hopes of survival on the disbursement of compensation on the basis of surveys conducted by loss assessment teams and introduction of crop insurance scheme in both the agriculture and horticulture sectors by the Jammu & Kashmir Government. The Government could further reduce the increasing stress on apple orchardists by waiving off their loans given to them under Kisan Credit Scheme.
The stability of prices of pesticides and fertilisers is yet another issue of rising concern for the apple orchardist of Kashmir as the rates of fertilisers have unprecedentedly increased during last two years of pandemic but the rates of different varieties of apple have not increased during last three years. The hopes of apple orchardist that this year’s harvest would compensate the losses they have suffered in last three years of pandemic have been almost vanished by recent hailstorms, gusty winds and cloud bursts in several areas of North and South Kashmir districts. Amid increasing weather vagaries the apple orchardists pin their hopes of survival on the disbursement of compensation on the basis of surveys conducted by loss assessment teams and introduction of crop insurance scheme in both the agriculture and horticulture sectors by the Jammu & Kashmir Government. The Government could further reduce the increasing stress on apple orchardists by waiving off their loans given to them under Kisan Credit Scheme.
