The ripe apple crop in several villages of south Kashmir has been destroyed by a severe hailstorm and gusty winds that swept through the region, said affected horticulturists on Tuesday.

Cherry, almond and walnut orchards have also suffered extensive damage. Paddy crop has fallen flat in the fields, they said.

The cyclone-like winds swept through the Kulgam and Shopian districts on Monday afternoon knocking down ripe apples from trees. Ripe apples were lying scattered in the orchards.

About 50 to 60 percent of the fruit crop has suffered damage in Kulgam and Shopian districts, said an official of the horticulture department.

Director of the horticulture department, Dr. Zahoor Ahmad, said that 25 villages of Kulgam and an equal number of villages in Shopian were badly hit.

Chief Horticulture Officer, Kulgam Mohammad Ramzan War said that the damage caused by the hailstorm is being assessed. “Several teams have been tasked to gather the damage caused to the apple crop and by evening we will be able to assess the exact loss,” he said.

The National Conference (NC) and CPI(M) have asked the government to implement crop insurance for the horticulture sector as the orchardists were repeatedly facing losses due to bad weather.

CPI(M) leader Mohamad Yousuf Tarigami on Tuesday visited the wind and hail storm affected areas in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district. Non-implementation of the Crop Insurance Scheme has caused distress among the orchardists and farmers. The scheme will provide succour to the orchardists and mitigate financial losses suffered by farmers due to crop failures caused by natural calamities.

While visiting Mohamadpora, Nillow, Arreh, Pombay, Kakran, Mirhama and other adjoining villages of Kulgam, he consoled the affected growers and orchardists, whose fruit and crops have extensively been damaged due to hail storm and gusty winds. The situation in the area is extremely terrible and devastating as the ripe fruit ready for harvesting stands damaged and in some areas fruit trees have got uprooted, he said.

NC spokesman Imran Nabi Dar called for appropriate compensation for farmers and orchardists. Dar highlighted the heavy toll of fruit taken by the hailstorm, rains, and strong winds on crops in Kulgam and Shopian saying the severity of the losses demands immediate attention from the administration.

The destructive weather conditions, Imran said have caused significant harm to various crops such as paddy, corn, apple, cherry, walnut and almonds, stripping trees of their vegetative parts and undoing months of hard work by farmers. “Additionally, the hailstorm has resulted in trauma for both people and livestock in the affected areas, as well as damage to houses and electricity transmission lines.”