Bandipora, Oct 08 : A heavy spell of rain and hailstorm lashed several parts of north Kashmir, leaving a trail of destruction across apple orchards, standing crops and vegetable fields in the region’s key horticulture and agricultural belts.
The hailstorm struck late Thursday afternoon in Bandipora and continued for nearly half an hour before moving across the apple belt of Sopore, Pattan and Rafiabad, growers and officials said. Vegetable fields were also affected, with cultivators reporting heavy fruit loss just ahead of the peak harvest season.
“The hailstorm was intense and prolonged. The apples, despite being in the picking season, have been bruised and rendered unfit for the market,” a grower said.
Officials said teams have been dispatched to the affected areas to assess the extent of damage, and a detailed report is being compiled for submission to the government for compensation.
North Kashmir is known as the apple bowl of the Valley, and the crop is the mainstay of the region’s rural economy, employing lakhs of people directly and indirectly.
Meanwhile, the weather forecaster Kashmir Weather said a feeble Western disturbance is currently affecting parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
A fresh spell of rain and thunderstorm, along with intense showers and gusty winds, is expected at many places in the Union Territory over the next six to eight hours.
Fresh snowfall is also expected over the extreme higher reaches of Kashmir during the same period.
