After 24 years, farmers cross border fence to cultivate land in Samba

Arjun Sharma

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Jammu, November 21

After 24 years, farmers, who were not able to cultivate their land beyond the border fence along the International Border (IB) with Pakistan due to fear of ceasefire violations in Samba district, have ploughed their fields.

Villages in Samba had faced ceasefire violations from the Pakistani side, killing local residents and cattle, and damaging houses during this period. The land between the two fences was out of bounds for farmers due to cross-border firing and the strict vigil the Border Security Force (BSF) has to maintain to guard against infiltration bids by militants.

However, due to efforts of the district administration and the BSF, many farmers have now been able to cultivate more than 75 acres. The administration plans to cultivate more such land in the coming days.

Ramesh Singh (48), a farmer from Chalyari village, said 24 years ago, fields were ploughed right up to the zero line with the help of bulls. “However, farming in the areas between the zero line and the border fence was suspended when ceasefire violations started taking place from the Pakistani side,” he said.

While farmers in many villages along the IB and the LoC in J&K were not allowed to cultivate their land close to the zero line, the situation has been improving since India and Pakistan agreed on a truce on the border in February last year. Sanjay Verma, Chief Agriculture Officer, Samba, said farmers who had cultivated their land beyond the border fence earlier had entered their fields again. “These farmers always wanted to cultivate their land and add to their earnings,” said Verma.

He said the farmers were provided seeds under the National Food Security Mission. The farmers took their tractors to the other side of the fence and ploughed the land.

Awareness was also being created by the government among the farmers to make them understand that cultivating land up to the zero line was possible with no fear of cross-border firing.

Samba Deputy Commissioner Anuradha Gupta said, “We are trying to build trust among the farmers that they can cultivate their land beyond the border fence till the zero line. We got support from the BSF and it is for the first time in 24 years that the farmers have crossed the fence to cultivate their land,” said Gupta. She said it was a confidence-building measure to ensure farmers that they could safely cultivate their land.

Truce has helped

• Farmers in villages along the IB and the LoC were not allowed to cultivate their land close to the zero line
• The situation has been improving since India & Pakistan agreed on a truce on the border in February last year