Orchardists Need More Than Sympathy

The repeated hailstorms have crushed the hopes of Kashmir’s orchardists. In just two months, hailstorms have damaged fruit orchards in many areas across the Valley. Each storm pushes thousands of families deeper into debt. Each loss makes horticulture a riskier occupation. And each year, the government watches, promises, but delivers little. Horticulture is not a minor sector. It contributes nearly eight per cent to Jammu and Kashmir’s GSDP and supports around 7.5 lakh families directly or indirectly. When orchards are destroyed, it is not just the apple that falls. It is the income of the labourer, the school fee of the child, the EMI of the farmer, and the grocery bill of the family. The repeated weather-related disasters have sparked panic among orchardists, who now wonder if fruit cultivation is worth the risk anymore. The Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers-cum-Dealers Union has made several reasonable demands: declare the recurring hailstorms a national disaster, implement a crop insurance scheme for horticulture, reintroduce the Market Intervention Scheme, provide a reasonable compensation package, distribute hail-protection nets free of cost, and waive Kisan Credit Card loans for distressed farmers. These are basic safety nets that any responsible government should have in place. The government cannot control the weather. But it can control its response. A functional crop insurance scheme for horticulture should have been implemented years ago. The Market Intervention Scheme should not have been allowed to lapse. Compensation should reach affected orchardists within weeks, not months or years. Hail-protection nets should be subsidised and made available to every farmer who needs them. The horticulture sector is the backbone of Kashmir’s rural economy. If the backbone is repeatedly broken, the entire body will collapse. The government has spoken about doubling farmers’ income. But farmers cannot double their income if their crop is destroyed every other month and no relief reaches them. The Lieutenant Governor and the Chief Minister must intervene immediately. The orchardists need action, compensation, insurance, and a genuine safety net. Their patience is running out. And so is their livelihood.