[link to www.saudigazette.com.sa]

Weather vagaries ruin Kashmir apple growers

"Unusually early and heavy snowfall split the trunks of 60 of Dar’s 100 apple trees in November, leading to huge apple — and financial — losses just before the harvest in Shopian, a region known as Kashmir’s apple bowl.

“Even if the climate remains favorable in the years to come, I will get only 40 percent (of the apples) I used to harvest,” lamented the farmer from the village of Hirpora.

The snow will cut his income by 60 percent this year, he said — and the bad times will last until he can replant or repair all his damaged trees."