SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has no proposal to provide up to 90 per cent subsidy for installing hail nets in existing and traditional fruit orchards, including apple orchards, the Agriculture Production Department has informed the Legislative Assembly.
In a reply to an Un-Starred D. No. 1/6/233 tabled by MLA Shabir Ahmad Kullay, the Horticulture Department said financial assistance was already being provided for anti-bird and anti-hail nets under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH).
Under the existing scheme provisions, growers are eligible for a 50 per cent subsidy for installation of the protective nets, subject to a maximum eligible area of 10,000 square metres per beneficiary. Where the covered area is below the prescribed limit, assistance is calculated on a pro-rata basis under the approved scheme norms.
The department said the assistance was intended to encourage growers to protect orchards from hailstorms and other adverse weather conditions and reduce crop losses.
On crop damage in Shopian, the department said joint field inspections are conducted with the concerned Revenue authorities after hailstorms and other adverse weather events. The affected orchards and crops are physically verified and losses assessed according to prescribed procedures.
The consolidated damage reports are subsequently forwarded to the concerned Deputy Commissioners for consideration of relief or compensation under SDRF/NDRF norms, wherever applicable.
According to the department’s assessment, Shopian reported no orchard damage during 2023-24. In 2024-25, 2,209.75 hectares of orchard area were damaged, affecting 6,792 farmers, with Rs 98.83 lakh proposed and paid as compensation.
In 2025-26, damage was reported over 589.40 hectares, affecting 2,179 farmers. Compensation of Rs 51.43 lakh was proposed and the same amount was paid.
The government also said the Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS) had not yet been implemented in Jammu and Kashmir, although the process for identifying insurance companies had been initiated.
It said the Government of India, through a communication dated February 4, 2026, had advised the UT administration to undertake preparatory action for a fresh tender covering all 20 districts, taking into account proposed revisions to the operational guidelines of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and RWBCIS for implementation from Kharif 2026.
The J&K Government has meanwhile participated in consultations with the Centre on RWBCIS term sheets for apple, including provisions covering hailstorm and high-density apple cultivation. The term sheets have been finalised, while revision of the RWBCIS guidelines remains under process at the Government of India level.
The department said fresh tenders would be issued after notification of the revised guidelines to facilitate insurance coverage against weather-related risks, including hailstorms, frost, heavy snowfall and other notified calamities.
It further said J&K was in the process of implementing RWBCIS for apple across the UT, with bids from two insurance companies already received and under evaluation.
