The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference voiced worry on Monday over the extensive damage that a hailstorm caused to apple orchards in the Kulgam and Shopian regions.
Senior leaders Sakina Itoo, Hasnain Masoodi, and Javed Dar of the JKNC Agriculture Committee noted that the heavy hailstorm in Kulgam and the Shopian region destroyed hundreds of orchards just as the harvest was about to start.
With ongoing lockdowns and natural catastrophes having a negative impact on their livelihoods, “our fruit producers have been experiencing increasingly difficult times in recent years. Once again, the almost-ripe food has been seriously harmed by nature’s destructive powers. Since they put all of their money in their orchards, the harvest this year represents a turning point in many people’s lives, they added.
The leaders voiced their displeasure with the present government, claiming that they had abandoned individuals tied to it for their destiny. They requested that Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha provide the impacted fruit producers with substantial compensation so they could make up for their losses. They also asked the government to launch the Crop Insurance Scheme in Jammu and Kashmir right away, which will protect apple trees. The leaders of the NC also asked for a specific exception for little-scale farmers, whose yield ordinarily does not exceed 100 apple boxes.
