Farmers Await Relief Package As Floods Devastate Kashmir’s Agriculture, Horticulture Sectors

Srinagar: The recent floods and heavy rainfall in Kashmir have wreaked havoc on agriculture and horticulture, submerging paddy fields, apple orchards, and vegetable crops in the valley. Initial estimates from the Agriculture Department suggest that 12,066.33 hectares of farmland in nine districts have been affected, with losses running into crores.

According to the data, Pulwama, Anantnag, and Budgam districts have borne the maximum brunt of the disaster. Pulwama has reported damages to 3,830.24 hectares, while 2,641.66 hectares in Anantnag and 2,723 hectares of agricultural land in Budgam were affected. The loss in Srinagar was recorded in 408.30 hectares, while Kulgam (1,183 ha), Shopian (224 ha), Ganderbal (196.12 ha), Kupwara (840 ha), and Bandipora (20 ha) also reported losses to paddy and vegetables. The Baramulla district escaped the brunt of the floods as no losses have been recorded.

Of the affected land, officials confirmed that 9,588.73 hectares have suffered more than 33% crop loss. This includes large landholdings in Anantnag, Pulwama, and Budgam, along with the agricultural belts of Srinagar’s Harwan, Qamarwari, and Brein zones.

Director Agriculture, Kashmir, Sartaj Shah, told ETV Bharat the initial relief to the affected farmers will be given from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) component by the government. He said the estimates of the losses to the crop are being evaluated to put the figures before the government for compensation.

The damage to Kashmir’s vital horticulture sector has been severe. Apple growers in Kulgam, Pulwama, and Anantnag reported inundation of orchards, leading to stress on trees and premature fall of fruit. In Shopian, where hailstorms in May and June this year damaged crops, the heavy rainfall has compounded losses in many villages. The orchardists complained that the government had provided “a paltry amount as compensation” for hailstorm losses.

In the Pulwama district, where dozens of villages in the low-lying areas were submerged, field officials reported that nearly 200 hectares of apple orchards were hit, affecting over 1,500 growers. Several orchardists in Gussu village in Pulwama and Laisoo village in Kulgam said their orchards were completely swept away by floodwaters.

Joint Director Horticulture, Kashmir, Abdul Hamid, said the department has communicated to the deputy commissioners and field officers to start damage assessments. “The exercise may take more than a week to complete,” he said.

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday pitched for relief to all those who were affected by the recent disasters in Jammu and Kashmir, including the cloudburst victims in Kishtwar (Chasoti) and near Mata Vaishno Devi in Reasi, and those affected by the closure of the Srinagar-Jammu highway. “The horticulture and agriculture sectors have suffered huge losses. Relief must reach all those affected by the disaster,” Omar said on Wednesday.

The CM’s appeal came ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proposed visit to Jammu and Kashmir in the coming days. The PM has already announced Rs 1,600 crore in flood relief for Punjab and Rs 1,500 crore for Himachal Pradesh.

Earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that Rs 209 crore has been allocated to J&K under SDRF as the central share for relief work. An Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT), led by Colonel Kirti Pratap Singh of the National Disaster Management Authority, also visited the UT to assess the scale of damage caused by floods, landslides, and cloudbursts.

“We are expecting a flood relief package from the prime minister when he visits Jammu and Kashmir, as we are facing loss in farming, which is our livelihoods,” a group of farmers told ETV Bharat in Shalina village of Budgam district, which was ravaged by the recent floods.

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