The Hindu : Farmers resume cultivation

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Nov 17, 2002

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Other States - Jammu & Kashmir

Farmers resume cultivation

By Our Staff Reporter

RS Pura Nov. 16. The reduction of cross border exchanges on the Indo-Pak. International Border in Jammu and Kashmir has emboldened the farmers living close to it to resume cultivation.

Since the border tension started between the two countries after the December 13 Parliament attack, the farmers had to give up a major portion of their land as the Border Security Force and the Army laid anti-personnel and anti-tank mines near the Line of Control and the IB.

The troops laid the mines over nearly 250-300 metres from the zero line in the plain International Border from Paharpur, situated close to the Jammu-Punjab border, to the Akhnoor sector of the Jammu region. The area where the mines had been laid remained in dispute between the Army and the civilian authority and this delayed the relief to the farmers. Cultivation even in the forward area which did not come under the " mined category'' had to be discarded due to the cross-border exchange of fire and shelling.

Now, as the exchange of fire on the IB has come down to the pre-December 13 level, farmers close to the IB are preparing themselves for the new Rabi cropping season. The tilling has started and they are awaiting the sowing season which will start in a short time.

The striking aspect of the cultivation activity near the IB is that the farmers on both sides work simultaneously. An old farmer of Chambiyal village says: " The farmers on both sides follow a similar time pattern. Though we do not talk to each other yet the presence of farmers on the other side assures us that the Pakistan Rangers will not suddenly resort to firing and the same is true for the farmers on the other side."

The belt near the IB is considered to be the rice bowl of the State and the high quality crops are exported. The last one year has been a difficult time for the border farmers.

The tension on the borders had forced the farmers to resort to distress sale of their agricultural produce. For instance, traders last summer had offered farmers a mere Rs.550 a quintal for paddy which is sold at Rs. 1,050 normally.

The farmers on the IB are hoping for quick de-mining operations so that the entire land can be again used for cultivation. But a senior Defence officer told The Hindu that the de-mining operations would take more time than that needed for mining the fields as it entails a lot of risk.

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