SHOPIAN: When Mohammad Shafi returned to his apple orchard a day after a massive hailstorm struck Shopian, he collapsed and was rushed to the sub-district hospital in Shopian where he recovered after a few hours.
June 1 came like a doomsday for him. His 16-kanal orchard in Wadipora, Zainpora, Shopian was completely destroyed.
More than half a dozen villages in the Zainpora sub-division - including Nagbal, Dachoo, Hoomona, Wadipora, Drawani, Handew, Darshalin, Arshipora, and Bandpava - bore the brunt of the destruction.
“This hailstorm didn’t just damage the budding fruit; it destroyed the trees. It will take at least three years for them to recover,” he told the Kashmir Times.
“With 20 members in our family, our entire livelihood - from marriages and children’s education to daily needs - depends on fruit production. All of us are tied to this work, from the youngest to the oldest. Now we are all jobless,” he says, tearfully.
“I am in depression - and why wouldn’t I be?” he said. “We have suffered a loss of nearly 30 to 35 lakh rupees. My sister’s wedding is next month, and now, because of this disaster, all our hopes have been shattered”.
No Support from Government
He added, “No one in our family has a government job. We were entirely dependent on our orchard. Now we are looking towards the government for help, but they are just making hollow promises.”
“They say they are providing compensation, but it is barely 600 to 900 rupees per kanal and that too only for three kanals. How is that supposed to compensate us for such a massive loss?”
Speaking to Kashmir Times, Bashir Ahmad, President Fruit Association Kashmir, strongly criticised the government’s repeated hollow promises.
“We have been consistently demanding crop insurance for years,” he said. “We even met the Lieutenant Governor in 2021 and raised the issue. He told us that crop insurance had been announced - but where is the implementation?” he asked angrily.
“The government has insured a few crops in the agriculture sector. Even in Jammu, where mango production is minimal, those crops are covered under insurance. So why not our apples - the backbone of Kashmir’s horticulture economy?” he questioned.
He further added “Last year, we met with the then newly elected Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who gave us assurances. But when we saw the budget session, there was no mention of any such initiative”.
Minister for Horticulture, Javed Dar, told the Kashmir Times that relief for the farmers will be taken care of under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). He said that he will soon discuss the issue with the Chief Minister, presently busy with the prime minister’s visit, to see how the farmers can be best supported.
Apple farming is one of the major occupations of the people of Kashmir; nearly 3.5 million people are associated with apple farming. This contributes to the largest employment generation in the region. It is pertinent to mention that Kashmir accounts for 75% of India’s total apple production.
Kashmiri apples are renowned worldwide for their exceptional quality and taste.
Climate Change Challenge
The recent hailstorm is not a case in isolation. It is part of an increasing pattern of weather changes that are now severely threatening apple production.
In recent years, growers in Kashmir have faced numerous challenges due to natural calamities including unprecedented snowfall, hailstorms, diseases, and a lack of rainfall.
Climatic changes in recent years have significantly altered weather patterns, severely impacting agriculture and horticulture sectors, farmers reveal, worried that their cumulative losses year after year are increasing.
Acknowledging the impact of changing weather patterns, Bashir Ahmed remarked, “Climate change is real. In the past, we never experienced such frequent windstorms - now they are common in Kashmir. Hailstorms have become almost a daily occurrence. I don’t think there is any area left untouched by them.”
In addition to this, frequent road closures and the import of apples from the USA, China, Iran and Turkiye have further affected the local apple industry, farmers say.
Amidst these challenges, there is no hustle and bustle in the fruit Mandi Shopian, counted among the largest fruit markets in Kashmir. For the growers and fruit traders it is still a long wait for the arrivals of apples, which begin to reach the mandi in mid-October.
Nasir Hussain from Pinjora Shopian, a fruit grower and trader, sits on a platform made of wooden planks with iron frame, gossiping with his colleague.
A few more people walk in the lawns of the Mandi. The animated conversations are pivoted to speculations about the apple trade in the next season. There are worries after the hailstorm on June 1.
Turkiye Apple Boycott
But there is also a jubilant cry by another trader who speaks about the Turkiye apple boycott.
Between May 7 and 10, 2025, India and Pakistan launched drone attacks against each other. India discovered Pakistan used Turkish-made drones, straining India-Turkiye relations. While trade ties aren't officially suspended, Indian fruit markets have called for boycotting Turkish apples, a move that is seen as benefiting Kashmiri apple growers.
Speaking to the Kashmir Times, president of the Fruit Growers Association Shopian, Mohammad Ashraf, said, “We welcome the recent development, as it greatly benefits Kashmiri fruit growers. However, we also demand that apple imports from other countries like Iran - especially those routed through Afghanistan - be banned as well.”
Nasir Hussain, a fruit grower, is a little skeptical.
“It’s only the people who have boycotted Turkish apples. After a few months of normalcy, things will go back to how they were,” he said. “There should be an official announcement banning the import of apples from Turkiye - that would truly benefit us”.
Explaining the impact of imported fruits on local prices, Hussain added, “When mangoes first arrive, we buy them at 250 Rupees per kilogram. But once they flood the market, the price drop to 150 Rupees or even 100 Rupees. The same happens with apples”.
Bashir Ahmad, President of the Kashmir Fruit Association, is more confident.
“These are not just speculations,” he told the Kashmir Times. “Traders from various fruit mandis across India have collectively decided to stop accepting Turkish apple imports. If this decision is implemented, it will benefit domestic apple producers”.
When asked whether there is any data to support the impact of Turkish imports on local produce, he said, “we don’t have official data at the moment, but I can say with confidence that while the impact wasn’t major, it was certainly affecting our local apple market to some extent.”
However, fruit grower Sajad Ahmad is dismissive of any impact.
“It is baseless to say that apples imported from Turkiye affect our market. Their apple boxes are sold at fixed rates – around 3000 Rupees to 3500 Rupees per box in Indian markets. Only the elite class can afford them, so they don’t impact us,” he said.
Threat from Other Imports Remains
Even if the ban on Turkish apples brings some sense of hope, the apple imports from other countries will continue to create a dent in the local apple industry, farmers fear.
Mohammad Ashraf said that apple imports from different countries have significantly increased over the past five years, with an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 metric tonnes entering the Indian market.
“Turkiye is the third largest apple producing country after the USA and China, and its presence in our market is already strong,” he added.
Responding to a question about apple imports from the United States, Ashraf noted, “India has already reduced tariffs on US apple imports twice. There are concerns that under a potential trade agreement during the Trump administration, tariffs could be reduced even further, leading to concerns of a deeper impact.”
Ashraf, however, added, “We are in coordination with growers from Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and through the Hill States Forum, we have written to the concerned authorities. We are requesting that if India-US trade ties are strengthened, apples should be excluded from the agreement.”
Ashraf also pointed out that apples from China are being imported into India via Bhutan and demanded that this route be blocked as well.
“It’s hitting our storage and market severely,” he concluded.
Mukhtar Ahmad, while loading his apple produce on a truck after months in storage, is driven by frustration.
“When the season arrives, we are unable to sell our produce at a fair price due to the low market rates,” he said. “That is why in recent years, many of us have started storing apples in bulk, hoping that the market will improve later so we can earn a profit.”
“But alas, now in every season, imported apples take over the market. It is affecting even our stored produce,” he added. “We spend a lot of money on storage, expecting some return, but it seems there is none”.
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