Responding to the situation arisen due to the heavy hailstorm that occurred in the afternoon of 25th May, the Director Horticulture Kashmir, G. R. Mir today conducted an extensive tour of the affected areas.The unexpected natural calamity has resulted in widespread damage to fruit crops, leading to concerns for the horticultural community.
During the tour, the Director visited villages of District Baramulla viz. Panzalla, Kangroosa, Chatoosa, Dazna and villages of District Kupwara viz. Hirri, Trehgam, Shumnag, Gugloosa and Awoora to assess the extent of the damage caused by the hailstorm, with particular focus on the severely affected regions of Rafiabad and Trehgam.
In this connection, the Joint Director Horticulture, Kashmir Z.A. Bhat also visited District Budgam to evaluate the impact on fruit crops in the area.Meanwhile, in a unified effort to address the crisis, all District Heads and Field Officers were directed to visit the affected areas to assess the damage so that immediate support to affected farmers can be rendered through available possible ways.
Recognizing the urgency of the situation, on-spot instructions and advisories were promptly issued by the authorities, and all the district officers’ along with their field staff were specifically directed by the Head of the Department to meticulously calculate the extent of the damage caused to the fruit crops.
Further, the immediate advisory issued to mitigate the hailstorm damage is replicated below:
For Apple/Pear: Zineb 68% + Hexaconazole 4% 72 WP @100g/100lts of water (OR) Tubeconazole (6.7%) +Captan (26.9)33.6SC @250 mls/100 lts. of water (OR) Fluxapyroxad 250g + Pyraclostrobin 250g 500 SC @20mls/100lts of water.
After a gap of 3 days, spray Urea @ 0.2% (200 gms per 100 liters of water).Remove the fallen fruits and leaves from the orchards immediately.For Plum/Peach/Apricot: Carbendazim 12% + Mancozeb 63% 75 WP @250g/100 lts of water (OR) Thiophanate Methyl 70WP @50g/100lts of water.After a gap of 3 days, spray Urea @ 0.2% (200 gms per 100 liters of water).
Remove the fallen fruits and leaves from the orchards immediately.The Directorate of Horticulture, Kashmir will continue to monitor the situation closely in collaboration with other government agencies and stakeholders to ensure that the necessary steps are taken to minimize the impact of the hailstorm on the livelihoods of the farmers in the region.