Union Budget 2026: Kashmiri Apple Growers Seek Compensation Package For Flood Losses

After facing heavy losses due to the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar national highway and in the floods last year, apple growers and traders in Kashmir are hoping that the Central government will announce a compensation package and also build  infrastructure to strengthen the horticulture industry.

According to fruit growers, they suffered heavy losses last year as hundreds of trucks remained stranded on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway for around 20 days. The Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Cum Dealers Union has put the losses at over Rs 2,000 crore in the heavy damage witnessed to the apple crop  in the floods that were witnessed here due to incessant rainfall for several days, and on account of highway closure.

Adnan Qayoom, an orchardist from South Kashmir’s Shopian, says that he suffered a heavy loss due to the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar national highway.

“We used to earn nearly Rs 10 lakh from the orchard, but the closure of the highway caused losses to us as  the entire produce didn’t fetch more than 5 lakh,” he says.

Qayoom adds that they are expecting that in the central budget, the government would announce a policy “ to provide quick compensation in the event of losses because the natural calamities have become more regular in Kashmir now.”

Bashir Ahmad Basheer, chairman of Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Cum Dealers Union, says that due to the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar highway as well as the floods last year, heavy damage was caused to the apple crop, but the growers were not adequately compensated. “There is a need to introduce a crop insurance scheme to compensate growers for the losses that they face during natural calamities. We are hopeful that a compensation package will be announced for last year’s losses.”

The Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Cum Dealers Union is also expecting that a market intervention scheme will be launched by the government to lift the lower-quality C-grade apple, which forms nearly 40% of the produce here. It has further sought that the small farm loans  would be waived off and the government should make announcements related to the building of proper irrigation facilities and facilities at various fruit markets in Kashmir.

Deputy Director Horticulture, Javed Ahmed Bhat, however, says that they have compensated the farmers under the SDRF norms. “ The losses were heavier in last year’s floods in the districts of Anantnag, Pulwama, and Kulgam. On one kanal of land, we provided the monetary assistance of over Rs 2000, and the norm is that there should have been a loss of 30% or above,” he says.

Fruit growers are also expecting announcements on the establishment of cold storage facilities and the upgradation of infrastructure to help farmers secure better incomes.

Qayoom says they were hoping such facilities would be set up in Shopian. “There is a need to develop a horticulture park in Shopian, bringing mechanised grading facilities and juice units under one roof. This would help improve our incomes, as upgrading infrastructure at the rural level is essential,” he says.

CPI leader Mohammad Maqbool Ganie says that the government has ignored the farmers who have not only received inadequate compensation for fruit losses, but the subsidy has also been reduced on fertilisers and pesticides. “ Subsidies need to be given on fertilisers and pesticides so that the farmers can minimise losses and earn their livelihood . While the  government has  reduced  the subsidies for the poor people, it  has, however, favoured big industrialists,” he says.