Inflation forces farmers back to bullock ploughing
A farmer ploughs his field with bulls in Perowal as rising fuel prices and increasing agricultural costs force small growers to return to traditional farming methods. Photo: Express
Rising inflation, soaring agricultural input costs and the global energy crisis have forced small farmers in the Perowal area to abandon modern mechanised farming and return to traditional methods using bullocks instead of tractors.
In what many describe as a symbolic step backwards in agricultural progress, fields that once echoed with the sound of tractors are now seeing wooden ploughs pulled by oxen.
Farmers say the shift reflects growing financial pressure that has made modern cultivation increasingly unaffordable.
The agriculture sector, long considered the backbone of the rural economy, is currently facing severe strain due to rising diesel and petrol prices, expensive fertilisers and increasing operational costs.
Farmers can now be seen ploughing fields under the scorching sun, their shoulders bent, bodies soaked in sweat, and feet sinking into the soil as they return to labour-intensive traditional farming practices.
Farmer Mazhar Siyal said that while the land and fields remain unchanged, rising expenses and limited resources have left them with no option but to revert to older methods.
"The land is the same, the fields are the same, but our resources are shrinking and costs are increasing. That is why we are forced to adopt traditional farming again," he said.
Another farmer, Mian Afzal, said the rising cost of fuel had left them with no choice. "High petrol and diesel prices have forced us to return to old methods. It takes more time and effort, but at least it reduces financial pressure. At current costs, even running household expenses has become difficult," he said.
Agricultural experts warn that if energy prices and input costs are not controlled, it could severely impact farmers' incomes, crop yields and national food security. District President of the Numberdar Association, Shafiq Ahmad, urged the government to introduce a "Kisan Khushhaal Scheme" with subsidies on fertilisers, pesticides and agricultural machinery.
"If this situation continues, farmers may no longer be able to cultivate crops.
The government must take urgent steps to save the agriculture sector from collapse," he warned.
Farmer Muhammad Faiz said the return to bullock farming was more than just a farming changeit reflected economic hardship.
"We are once again walking on a path we had long left behind, thinking it belonged to the past," he said.