Sweet corn, maize, olive, walnuts: Farmers along LoC reap dividends of ceasefire; harvest bumper crop

Srinagar: Ghulam Nabi Khan of Churanda village in Uri, had a bumper maize crop this year.

It is for the first time, that his produce has crossed four quintals. This year, the family brought abandoned land near LoC under cultivation for the first time. And it has paid dividends.

“We had some three kanals of land just near the LoC. We could not sow crops because of frequent shelling in the area. Since the border has been peaceful for more than a year now, we decided to utilize three kanals of land for growing maize,” he said.

In Uri, scores of farmers are reaping the dividends of the ceasefire. Farmers are trying new crops to make up for the losses of all these years.

From sweet corn to maize, olives, and walnuts, farmers have harvested a bumper crop this season near LoC.

“It is for the second year that ceasefire is holding. This year people worked in their fields rather than moving to other districts in search of work,” Khan said.

Nearly 30 villages including Gohallan, Garkote, Thajal, Kamalkote, Madian, Sultandaki, Gowalta, Uroosa, Shahdara, Kundibarjala, Zamboorpattan, Dardkote, and others, have seen farming heightened activity for the first time.

“There were many areas where it wasn’t possible to harvest walnuts. Frequent ceasefire violations would add to our losses. But again this year, we moved to the forward areas to harvest our produce,” said Zahid Ahmad, a resident of Uroosa.

Traders said that the supplies of walnuts and maize from Uri and Kupwara have increased this year.

“Last year, too, we did good business. Villages living along the Line of Control (LoC) harvested their produce. Earlier, these people were unable to visit the markets to sell their produce,” said Manzoor Ahmad Dar, a walnut dealer from Baramulla.

Lagama traders said they have received a large quantity of walnuts from villages including  Nambla, Hathlanga, Sourha, Thajal, Gawalta, and Gowhalan — all falling close to the LoC.

On  February 25, 2021, Indian and Pakistani armies agreed to defuse the tension and maintain peace on the sensitive Line of Control (LoC). The decision was taken after the Director Generals of Military Operations of both countries held discussions on the hotline. The two sides reviewed the situation along the Line of Control and all other sectors in a “free, frank, and cordial atmosphere.”