Scores of fruit growers and traders from south Kashmir staged a massive protest, demanding implementation of crop insurance and adequate compensation to farmers affected by the recent snowfall that inflicted heavy damage on apple orchards. Untimely snowfall on November 3 and 4 has not only destroyed hanging fruits, but also damaged apple trees in orchards across Shopian. The protest was held under the banner of Jammu and Kashmir Kisan Tehreek (JKKT), whose general secretary Ghulam Nabi Malik demanded immediate monetary relief to farmers and implementation of crop insurance scheme in the Valley. Last week, the governor's administration had approved enhancement of the quantum of relief from Rs 18,000/ha to Rs 36,000/ha for damage to perennial crops like apple. While welcoming increase in compensation, Malik said the package was still inadequate. The payment at the enhanced rate wouldn't exceed Rs 4,000 per affected farmer having land less than one ha, he said, pointing out the fact that the package covered sown/planted areas only. "The recent snowfall caused a deadly blow to agriculture and horticulture sectors of the Valley. We estimate the losses to be over Rs 1,500 crore. It will be wrong to say that only apple orchards have suffered damages. Snowfall has caused widespread devastation," Malik said. Gulzar Ahmad Dar, an affected fruit grower from Shopian, said unexpected snowfall has not only caused damage to the hanging fruits but has broken tree branches. "It will take at least ten years for the damaged trees to come back to their original state to be able to bear such a huge quantity of apples," Gulzar added.