Affected growers will get relief: Officials
Jahangeer Ganaie
SRINAGAR : Following the untimely snowfall on 23rd of this month resulting in severe damage to the orchards, growers are demanding compensation for their losses.
Growers from different areas of Kashmir said that there is extensive damage in their orchards and have lost fruits worth crores. They said that around 50 percent of the apples were yet to be plucked from a few areas and the untimely snowfall has caused damage to both trees and fruits.
Pertinently, this is the third consecutive year that fruit growers have witnessed damage due to untimely snowfall.
Growers said that despite damage in crores in the last two years, they were given a relief of Rs 4000, “but this time our demand is for compensation, not relief”. “Relief of Rs 4000 per family is just a joke when damage is in crores. This year damage is to a very little percentage of growers, so they must be fully compensated,” Nawaz Ahmad, a grower from Shopian said.
Growers said that only full compensation can end their problems as they have been facing damages for the last several years in terms of natural calamity, Covid-19 and other issues.
Meanwhile, officials of the concerned department said that a damage assessment process is going on after which a detailed report would be forwarded to higher-ups. “The relief will be given to the affected growers,” officials said.
