The apple industry is the backbone of Kashmir’s horticulture economy, generating an estimated ₹10,000–12,000 crore annually and supporting nearly 3.5 million livelihoods directly and indirectly across Jammu and Kashmir.
Amid recurring spells of hailstorms wreaking havoc across Kashmir’s apple belt, demands for the introduction of a crop insurance scheme have grown louder among growers.According to meteorologists, the Valley witnessed at least seven hailstorm events over the past month, causing widespread damage to apple orchards.“The exact extent of losses is yet to be assessed, but the repeated hailstorms have caused significant damage to apple crops across Kashmir’s apple-growing regions,” said Bashir Ahmad Basheer, chairman of the All Kashmir Fruit Growers and Dealers Association.He said that in the absence of a crop insurance mechanism, apple cultivators remain highly vulnerable to weather-related shocks.The apple industry is the backbone of Kashmir’s horticulture economy, generating an estimated ₹10,000–12,000 crore annually and supporting nearly 3.5 million livelihoods directly and indirectly across Jammu and Kashmir.Repeated hailstormsThe impact of the repeated hailstorms is already visible in orchards across south Kashmir.Zahid Ahmad, an apple grower from Shopian, said his orchard was battered by nearly marble-sized hailstones during a storm last week, causing substantial damage to the crop.“The hailstorm knocked off a significant amount of fruit and foliage. I estimate the damage at around 45 per cent. We are now waiting for the implementation of the crop insurance scheme so that growers have some protection against such losses,” he said.In his Budget speech in February, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah announced provisions for insuring crops such as apple, saffron and litchi. However, these crops are yet to be brought under any insurance cover.On May 23, Agriculture Minister Javed Ahmad Dar told reporters that the government would roll out the Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS) within two months and that the bidding process would be initiated shortly.“Even if the scheme is introduced within two months, this season will remain uncovered,” Basheer said.Earlier, the government had maintained that tenders for the scheme were floated several times, but insurers showed little interest in participating.In February, the government informed the Assembly that two insurers — Agriculture Insurance Company of India and Tata AIG General Insurance — had emerged as the lowest bidders (L1) for implementing the RWBCIS for apple and saffron crops in Jammu and Kashmir.According to the government, four bids were received from empanelled insurers for apple and saffron crops in the Kashmir division and five bids for notified crops in the Jammu division. Following evaluation of premium quotes, the two companies were selected for three clusters in Kashmir (K1, K2 and K3) and one cluster in Jammu (J1).However, an official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said fresh tenders would be floated on June 1.The official said the two bidders selected earlier were not approved after quoting premium rates exceeding 30 per cent.Growers argue that the delay in implementing the insurance scheme has left them exposed to increasingly erratic weather patterns.Published on June 2, 2026
