The havoc played by the recent rains and floods across Jammu and Kashmir is beyond description. While the Union Territory has historically endured natural calamities, this year’s fury of incessant downpours and flash floods has inflicted devastation of an unprecedented scale on the agricultural sector. More than 1.4 lakh hectares of land have been damaged, over 90,000 hectares have suffered losses above 33 percent, and nearly 6 lakh farmers stand directly impacted. The cumulative losses are estimated to run into hundreds of crores and the distress is visible in every district, from paddy fields in Jammu to apple orchards in south Kashmir.
The damage goes far beyond the standing crops. Large swathes of fertile land have been buried under thick layers of silt brought by overflowing rivers and streams. In many areas, the situation is so grim that no immediate agricultural activities can be undertaken until extensive desilting is carried out. This implies not only a complete loss of the current season’s crops but also delayed prospects for the next harvest. For small and marginal farmers, whose daily sustenance depends on the timely harvest and sale of produce, the challenge is existential.
Paddy and maize, the lifeline crops of Jammu’s plains and Kandi belt, have been flattened or submerged. Fields in Udhampur, Kathua, Reasi, Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, Rajouri, Samba, and Poonch present a uniform picture of ruin. Farmers in Khour, Pallanwala, and Tawi Island lament how their fields have been covered with silt, rendering them uncultivable for now. In Kashmir, the tragedy has been equally brutal. The rice bowl of Anantnag, Pulwama and Kulgam has been washed away just as the paddy crop was approaching harvest. To compound matters, the horticulture sector has suffered a double blow. Orchards have been damaged in Dachnipora, Sallar and Shopian, while ready apple produce lies stranded as the national highway blockade prevents timely transportation to markets.
In such a scenario, the role of the Government becomes crucial-not in words of sympathy but in immediate, practical measures of relief and rehabilitation. The Agriculture Department has initiated preliminary surveys, while joint teams with Revenue officials are documenting the losses. The mechanism of compensation is in motion: farmers registered under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana will benefit through insurance claims, while claims worth Rs 135 crore have already been submitted to the SDRF for non-registered farmers. While the current situation is reassuring, the urgency of the crisis demands much more.
Relief compensation alone cannot pull the farmers out of this calamity. What is needed in addition is a well-structured package of short-term, interest-free or low-interest loans made available without procedural hurdles. Such loans will allow farmers to meet immediate expenses, undertake desilting operations, purchase seeds and prepare their fields for the next sowing season. Without this bridge support, many small farmers will be forced into debt traps.
Equally vital is the advisory role of the Agriculture Department. In situations where traditional paddy cultivation may not be immediately feasible due to silt deposition or waterlogging, farmers must be guided about alternative crops or short-duration varieties that can provide some income and food security in the interim. For the horticulture sector, particularly apple growers, the Government must devise a two-pronged strategy. First, compensation and crop insurance settlements must be expedited. Second, logistical bottlenecks such as highway blockades must be urgently addressed. The calamity has also triggered a looming fodder crisis, with nearly 1,000 hectares of fodder crops destroyed. Livestock owners are already voicing fears of shortage, and without a timely fodder supply, another dimension of agrarian distress could unfold.
The scale of the disaster makes it clear that agriculture in UT has suffered one of its worst setbacks in recent memory. Every possible help-financial, logistical, and technical-must be provided to farmers and allied communities. The farming community has always been the backbone of the UT’s economy and food security. Today, when they are staring at ruin, it is the collective responsibility of the administration and society to stand with them.
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