Fruit Growers Need Immediate Help

The recent hailstorm has destroyed the hard work of thousands of fruit growers. Two storms in less than a month have shattered the hopes of a good fruit season this year. Now, the fruit growers have asked Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for immediate help. This is not a demand for free money but a cry for survival. Lakhs of families in Kashmir depend on horticulture. When orchards are destroyed, it is not just the fruit that is lost. The labourer loses his wages. The farmer loses his income. Children cannot pay school fees. Old people cannot buy medicine. The damage will be felt across the Valley for many months. What makes the situation worse is that there is no insurance for horticulture crops. The government has been talking about a Crop Insurance Scheme for fruit growers for some time, but it has not been implemented yet. The growers also want the Market Intervention Scheme to be brought back. Without these, even the little fruit that can be saved will not fetch a fair price. The government must act now. First, an immediate relief package should be announced for the affected orchardists. Second, the Crop Insurance Scheme for horticulture should be started without any more delay. Third, the Market Intervention Scheme should be restored so that growers do not have to sell their fruit at very low prices. Fourth, a warning system should be put in place so that growers can protect their orchards before a hailstorm hits. Horticulture is the backbone of Kashmir’s economy. When the backbone is hurt, the whole body suffers. The hailstorm has passed, but the pain of the growers has not. The Chief Minister has received their petition. Now the government must deliver the relief package. Every day of delay causes more suffering. For a fruit grower, time is measured in harvests. This harvest is already lost. The next one must be protected. The government cannot wait. The growers cannot wait. Help must reach them now.