The overnight rainfall provided the much-awaited relief to apple cultivators in south Kashmir's Shopian district. The rains started late Sunday night and continued for several hours, breaking a protracted dry spell as well as bringing the temperatures down.
According to the farmers, the deficit of rainfall in August and September significantly impacted the size and color of their fruit. One apple grower said: “The rainfall during this season is very crucial for the proper size and colour of the fruit.”
The apple growers say that the protracted dry spell in some areas had also resulted in the sunscald of apples.
