Anantnag: Unprecedented Hailstorm on Monday evening damaged several apple orchards across South Kashmir.
The hailstorm have hit large areas of Dachnipora causing colossal damage to the apple orchards, locals in the area told The Himalayan Post.
Affected areas include Khiram, Sirhama, Srigufwara and other villages of Dachnipora bijbehara.
"It has resulted in huge loss to the fruit growers and farmers of the affected areas," Mr. Veeri, a local said.
"Such calamity has deprived the fruit growing farmers as it is the only source of their livelihood," he said.
"The current season is called as the stage two of fruit development, that means the apples are of walnut size and any damage on this stage leads to the death of whole apple production," he explained.
The belt where the hailstorm caused havoc is known as the apple hub of Kashmir, he added.
Annually, Kashmir produces 1.8 million metric tons of apples.