Srinagar, May 30 -- The Valley that once greeted every season as a sacred blessing now increasingly watches the sky with fear.

For generations, Kashmir's agricultural rhythm moved in harmony with nature. Spring carried the fragrance of almond blossoms, summer nourished emerald paddy fields, autumn crowned orchards with crimson apples, and winter wrapped the Valley in quiet resilience. Seasons were once predictable companions of rural life. But today, that ancient ecological rhythm stands deeply disturbed.

For the farmers and orchardists of Jammu & Kashmir, the year 2026 has unfolded not as a season of prosperity, but as a season of devastation, anxiety, and silent economic collapse.

A chain of extreme weather events beginning with the ...