Meer Irfan/ Danishwar Hameed
Abdul Rehman Shah, a resident of Shopian, looks through the window of his house, as the flakes of snow slowly cover the ground. The trees have leaves, the garden around his house is still green. This is not a common sight- It normally snows after the trees have shed their leaves and by then, the farming activity is almost over.
After incurring losses worth millions of rupees in the preceding years of 2019 and 2020, due to lockdowns and plagues, the Kashmiri farmers who were expecting a bright year in terms of business woke up to a snowfall.
Abdul Rehman Shah, a 67 year old orchardist from Shopian doubled men in his field for harvesting the apples as he heard of the predictions of rain and snowfall issued by Kashmir’s Meteorological Department. In Kashmir, farmers since the past few days had been harvesting apples earlier than the actual time of harvest to save themselves from another year of loss.
In 2019, after the Indian Government unilaterally abrogated the Article 370 and 35 a, followed by months-long lockdown Kashmir’s apple industry faced major crisis. The lockdown was a huge setback and destroyed the apple orchards, and the following year, 2020, the coronavirus lockdown broke the supply chain and hampered business causing major losses to the farmers and apple growers.
Huge quantities of apples rotted due to non availability of a market and buyers. Tens of thousands of apple boxes lying in cold storages across the valley rotted. “Farmers suffered losses in crores, we have received no compensation, Our produce has suffered huge damage. Look at our trees, the branches are broken. This is not my apple that has fallen down, it is Kashmir that is broken,” Abdul Rehman said, pointing towards the broken branch of an apple tree due to snowfall, on Saturday.
The season’s early snowfall has caused damage to apple orchards in the Kashmir valley especially in Shopian district of south Kashmir.
The areas in Shopian like Saloo, Zainapora belt, Keller and Herpora of Shopian received snowfall, which has caused damage to apple orchards as the fruit was still on trees when ultimately snowfall occurred.
In Kulgam, the Damhal Hanjipora belt has received the fresh snowfall, causing huge damage to crops.
Kashmir produces 20 lakh metric tonnes of apples every year. The fruit is cultivated on more than 37 lakh hectares of land across the valley constitutes 75 per cent of the total apple production in India.
The fruit earns Kashmir Rs 8000 crores annually, and provides livelihood to 33 lakh people including seven lakh farmers.
Early morning, on Tuesday, Kashmir valley received an early snowfall in some parts. As farmers went to take inspection of their gardens in parts of Damhal Hanjipora in Kulgam, Shopian district, parts of Anantnag, Ganderbal and Baramulla, they found the branches of the apples trees broken due to massive load of snow on them.
“Though the farmers had been harvesting the crops early due to the MeT predictions of snow, it was less time for farmers to carry out the entire process,” Ghulam Hassan, another farmer from Anantnag told The Kashmiriyat.
“As per initial reports few areas of Shopian, including Keller, Herpora have received snow where it has damaged apple orchards. We are assessing the loss and we will come up with a report later,” Chief Horticulture Officer said.
“We are really at a loss and don’t know how to deal with the situation,” said an apple merchant.