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April Snowstorm Damages Blossoms in Kashmir Fruit Crop Suffers Amid Untimely Downpour

Tulip flowers in full bloom are covered in a snow at Siraj Bagh where more than 2 Million tulips were expected to bloom, during spring snow on April 06, 2017, in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian administered Kashmir, India. The Kashmir valleys first April snowstorm in a decade has wiped out fruit blossoms at the height of the spring season. Several inches of untimely snow in April this year has hit flowering in most of the horticulture crops across the Kashmir valley. With unprecedented snow and rains in Kashmir extending beyond the usual winter months that end in February, horticulturists are a worried lot as experts predict the unusual weather will impact the crop this year. Almonds along with plum bloom have been battered by snow across the valley. Apple trees have also been damaged by the weight of the watery snow. The worst hit so far, according to farmers and experts, is the almond crop. Almond crop has suffered hugely, with tree branches breaking down under the weight of continuous snow and rain, says a grower. While the local Meteorological Department has said that the weather would improve Friday afternoon, apple growers say that the damage has been done. In Kashmir, six hundred thousand households with three million people are involved in horticulture and allied trades, and this snow has dented chances of a better produce this year. (Photo by Yawar Nazir/NurPhoto)

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