He said they are receiving reports of massive crop loss from all parts of the valley. “Hundreds of growers from Baramulla, Ganderbal, Budgam, Beerwah, Shopian, Kulgam, Pulwama, and Kupwara have faced losses. “Our orchards seemed to be abundant in apples and other fresh fruits particularly cherry but the frequent hailstorm and high intensity rainfall along with gusty winds have left the orchardists in complete desperation,” Basheer added. Almost the entire harvest of cherry, Basheer said, has been ruined by the weather vagaries during the last three weeks. “The hailstorm, winds and rain have not only damaged standing crop of fresh fruits but have also broken the branches of the fruit plants in the orchards,” Basheer said. The latest challenge follows an equally surmounting ordeal the fruit growers had to face because of frequent and anomalous closure of the Srinagar-Jammu Highway so far this year. The closures had damaged a vast quantity of in-transit apple and cherry produce. The amalgam which Bashir heads is an umbrella body of all fruit associations of the valley. He said that it was the need of the hour for the administration including SKAUST Kashmir, directors of Horticulture department and the planning and marketing wing, to survey the affected areas. “They should depute the concerned staff immediately to all affected areas hit by hailstorm, gusty winds and heavy rainfall for the purpose of asserting the losses suffered by fruit growers,” he said. Basheer said that the concerned authorities should also inform the fruit growers about necessary remedial measures to be adopted in order to avoid further damages. Secretary Horticulture, Manzoor Ahmad Lone said that the Directorate will survey the affected areas. “The losses are covered under SDRF. The district horticulture officials consolidate the report of losses and submit it to the concerned DCs. They also check under what norms of State Disaster Response Fund these losses fall in,” he said. About the estimated Rs 250 crore losses, he said he couldn’t validate the same as he did not have any information about it. Asked about crop insurance, Lone said the reluctance from insurance companies and high-premiums had proven a detractor for the yield-based crop insurance scheme. “The cabinet, however, has agreed in principle to introduce a weather-based crop insurance scheme, which has a lower premium. We are looking into its modalities,” he said. Source - https://www.thekashmirmonitor.net