Kulgam, Aug 16: CPI(M) Jammu and Kashmir secretary Mohammad Abbas Rather on Sunday visited several hailstorm and windstorm-affected villages in Kulgam district and demanded crop insurance for apple growers and waiver of Kisan Credit Card (KCC) loans for farmers who have lost their harvest.
Rather, accompanied by party workers, visited Nihama, Ladgoo, Pombay and Adijan, among other villages, where a recent hailstorm accompanied by heavy rain and strong winds damaged standing apple crop just ahead of its harvest.
Horticulture Department teams have also been assessing the damage in the affected areas on the directions of Kulgam MLA M Y Tarigami.
Rather said the storm caused extensive damage, with trees uprooted in some areas and the crop destroyed within hours. He said the damage was particularly severe as the apples were ready for the market.
“Not even a third-grade apple is left worth selling,” Rather said while displaying damaged apples picked from the orchards.
He said the Apple Farmers Federation had been demanding crop insurance for years and argued that farmers who had taken KCC loans to develop their orchards should be given relief if their entire crop had been destroyed.
“If corporate loans running into lakhs and crores can be waived, farmers with loans of Rs 1 lakh, Rs 2 lakh or Rs 3 lakh should also be considered for relief,” he said.
Rather called for a village-wise assessment by gazetted Horticulture Department officers and said the worst-affected areas should be prioritised for loan waivers if immediate relief across Jammu and Kashmir was not possible.
He also sought implementation of the Market Intervention Scheme to help farmers recover some value from damaged produce. He suggested establishing juice-processing units at the block or zone level to utilise lower-grade apples instead of allowing them to go to waste.
Rather said apple cultivation should be brought under a formal crop insurance scheme, noting that the crop accounts for a major share of the region’s horticulture economy.
He cautioned that the impact of the storm could extend beyond the current season, as damage to orchards may affect the next year’s crop as well.
Rather said the CPI(M) would raise the issue at various levels, including in Delhi through the All-India Apple Farmers Federation and the All-India Kisan Sabha. He said Tarigami would also pursue the matter in the Assembly.
He identified Nihama, Ladgoo, Pheripora, Samno, Adijan and Pombay among the affected areas and urged the government to provide immediate relief to the farmers.
