High and dry: Floods take their toll on Swat’s agriculture

Farmers ask government to take interest in revival of industry.

SWAT: Militancy in the country not only posed a threat to the safety of the people but also crippled the livelihood of some.

Swat, which became a hub for militant activities two years ago, has since been facing numerous difficulties in its agricultural sector. Before people could grasp the damage done by militants, the floods last year further devastated Swat.

Swat Valley is an agriculturally rich land with more than 80 per cent of its population employed in the sector. However, local farmers feel their efforts to revive the industry have been permanently neglected by the government.

“We have been facing one problem after another from the beginning. A tractor for ploughing the field charges Rs900 per hour,” said Abdul Ghafoor, a farmer from Kabal town. “We are facing water shortages and there is a lack of quality seeds for production”.

The damages caused by this year’s floods are extensive and farmers feel that government and NGO support fell short of what was required.

“My entire land, which produced up to 200 sacks of rice, was washed away in the floods. I registered myself as a flood victim but till now, neither the government nor a non-government organisation has offered help,” said Rahim, local farmer and landowner.

The climatic condition in Swat is favourable for cultivating maize, which is one of the most profitable crops for farmers but currently, the crop has been banned by security forces in some areas. Riaz Khan, a local farmer, told The Express Tribune, “Maize crop was our prime money-making crop  but even that is restricted for us.”

Officials of the District Agricultural Department say that farmers are being provided technical help but the government has yet to release compensation for landowners whose land, along with their livelihood, had been washed away.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 14^th,  2011.