SRINAGAR, SEPTEMBER 4: The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) has expressed its solidarity with the fruit growers of Kulgam and Shopian, whose orchards were devastated by high-speed winds that swept across large areas of the districts on Monday. The fierce winds knocked ripened apples from trees in orchards spanning thousands of kanals, leaving behind a scene of destruction reminiscent of carpet bombing. Many small-scale growers have been left with nothing, struggling to repay bank loans and advance money taken from fruit traders.
“This natural calamity, marked by high-speed gusty winds and hailstorms, has once again highlighted the urgent need for crop insurance—a long-standing demand of both the KCCI and Fruit Growers Associations. The recent statement by the Director of Agriculture, indicating that crop insurance will be implemented after March 2025, is welcome but comes too late for those affected by this disaster,” said Faiz Ahmad Bakshi
Secretary General, KCCI.
“The KCCI has appealed to the LG administration for generous compensation to the farmers and growers whose crops have been damaged. Such support would provide much-needed relief and enable them to care for their families during the difficult times ahead. The KCCI also demands that the losses from the destroyed crops be assessed immediately, and compensation sanctioned at the earliest,” he added.
