Jalandhar: Hit by floods last year, farmers now go in for spring maize

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

Jalandhar, May 7

“Jado insan mar reha hove te hath pair maarda hai, asi ohi kitta (When someone is dying, he tries to save himself by any means, this is what we did). Now time will tell whether we will earn anything after a year or not,” says Lakhbir Singh from Gatta Mundi Kasu village in Lohian, who has sown spring maize for the first time. First, he lost paddy crop when floods had hit the area, then he could not sow wheat.

Some fields still not ready

The flood-hit farmers could not prepare their fields for wheat because of accumulation of sand and silt but it was only two months back when cultivation seemed feasible. So, they sowed spring maize.

This is the fate of some farmers living in the low-lying areas like Dhakka Basti and Gatta Mundi Kasu of Lohian where flood waters had caused havoc last year. Strangely, wheat was not sown on around 100 acres. These farmers could not even prepare their fields for wheat because of accumulation of sand and silt but it was only two months back when cultivation seemed feasible. So, the farmers sowed spring maize that too with the help of the Khalsa Aid, who provided free seeds to the farmers.

“It is for the first time that spring maize was sown in these villages on around 100 acres,” said Jasbir Singh, Assistant Development Officer (ADO) of Shahkot block.

Thousands of acres were ravaged by the deluge last year after which paddy crop was damaged and farmers got burdened due to huge losses.

Farmer Lakhbir Singh used to grow wheat on seven acres land, out of which three acres are on contract. “We have been suffering badly since last year,” he added.

“We cultivated this crop for the first time in February when our lands seemed ‘ready’. Kitta majboori vich hai, pata nai ki milega saanu” another farmer Daler Singh from Dhakka Basti said.

Farmer Partap Singh also said he could sow spring maize on only two out of six acres of his fields while remaining area is still not fit where anything can be sown. “Four acres of my agriculture land are still bearing the brunt of floods,” he shared.