Rains damage Anantnag’s vegetable hub, hi-tech garden

Anantnag, Aug 29: Bangidar, a well-known vegetable-producing village in Anantnag, was completely submerged following recent rains. With stagnant water and heavy silt accumulation, farmers have lost months of hard work and their main source of income.Amir Shafi, a farmer from Bangidar, told Rising Kashmir that the village has over 182 farmers cultivating a variety of vegetables, including exotic crops, all of which have been destroyed by the floods.“The damage has pushed farmers into distress. The vegetables are still under water, making them unfit for consumption. This will also trigger inflation in Anantnag town, as our produce used to supply local markets as well as markets outside the district,” he said.He added that the Bangidar cluster would supply vegetables worth around Rs 60–70 lakh per month, with dozens of truckloads dispatched regularly. “This rain-induced damage has turned our hard work into waste. Our earnings and livelihoods have been wiped out with submerged farms,” he lamented.Shahnawaz Ahmad Shah, Chief Agriculture Officer (CAO) Anantnag, confirmed that damage assessment is underway and that Bangidar has been the worst hit.“Across the district, maize and paddy have also suffered, but vegetables have taken the major hit. At Bangidar alone, vegetable farms spread over 326 kanals are under water. Preliminary estimates suggest over 90 percent damage, if not complete destruction,” he said.Shah added that at Aripath village, the department’s hi-tech polyhouse vegetable garden has also suffered major damage. “The water level rose above the hi-tech units and, as it receded, silt caused further destruction. This departmental farm consists of four hi-tech units spread over four kanals. Our staff is engaged in clearing the silt to restore it,” he said. Similarly, in Kokernag’s Larnoo tehsil, some bridges have suffered damage, but fortunately agriculture and horticulture have not been significantly affected.Syed Muiz Qadri, Tehsildar Larnoo, said that bridges have been washed away in the area, though agricultural land has not suffered much damage.