Tauseef Ahmad
Srinagar, May 13: Jammu and Kashmir Agriculture Minister Javid Ahmad Dar on Wednesday said orchards in several areas of north Kashmir were damaged after a hailstorm lashed parts of the Valley, with officials beginning field assessments to evaluate losses and compensation under SDRF norms.
The minister said Baramulla, Pattan and Tangmarg were among the worst-hit areas where fruit orchards suffered significant damage.
“It is unfortunate that many orchards have been affected due to a natural disaster,” Dar said, adding that concerned departments were directed during the night itself to start preliminary assessments.
Teams from the agriculture and horticulture departments visited affected areas on Wednesday morning and began field surveys to assess the extent of damage.
According to the minister, initial estimates suggest losses ranging between 15 and 30 percent in different areas, while a detailed report is expected by evening.
Dar said compensation would be provided to affected growers as per SDRF norms once the assessment process is completed.
He further said legislators from Baramulla, including Javed Hassan Baig, Farooq Ahmad Shah and Riyaz Ahmad Bedaer, met him earlier in the day and reviewed the situation with horticulture officials.
On the issue of crop insurance, the minister said the weather-based crop insurance scheme remained the only long-term solution for growers facing repeated losses due to natural calamities.
“We are trying to implement it and the process has reached the final stage,” he said, adding that the tendering process had been completed but implementation was delayed after the Government of India revised the insurance policy framework.
Dar said the proposed insurance cover includes apple and saffron crops in Kashmir, along with mango, litchi and other crops in Jammu.
“We have also kept a provision of around Rs 50 crore towards the premium from the government side,” he added, saying the bidding process was nearing completion and the government was working to roll out the scheme at the earliest.
