Kohistan farmers expect bumper crops after 11-year dry spell

HYDERABAD: Farmers in the rain-fed Kohistan region expect bumper crops of sorghum, guar, and apple gourd this year, as they received heavy rains after 11 years.

Muhammad Idrees Palari, owner of a 10-acre piece of land and a few heads of livestock in village Longani Palari near Thano Bola Khan, said Kohistan and Kaccho last received heavy rains in 2006. “Since then, the people were facing dryness and had to sell out their traditional assets; animals, one after the other to survive the situation,” he added.

While sorghum, guar, and apple gourd would bring prosperity for farmers, the sesame crop would likely give disappointing yields this year. “We are yet to understand the reason, but it could be because of expired seeds bought from the local markets,” he said.

The sesame plant is considered drought tolerant and yields relatively well under high temperatures and low rainfall. Sorghum too is considered drought tolerant, but its cultivation has dropped among the farmers in the Kohistan region, whereas in barrage areas, it is mainly used as fodder.

It was the most important cereal grain crop among wheat, rice, maize and millet. Idrees expects to receive 30-35 maund/acre yield of sorghum, which is enough to sustain his family for a year.

Similarly, guar is a better food and cash crop for the farmers in arid zones, like Kohistan, Kaccho and Thar Desert, whereas the apple gourd is a major cash crop.

The gourd is sold for Rs2,000/maund in major markets, and is presently being sold for Rs60 to Rs100/kg in local markets. Mostly women are hired for picking, sorting, and packing this vegetable from the cucurbit family at a daily wage of Rs200 to Rs300.

Dryness brings many problems for the people in this region. Abdul Majeed Palari, another farmer of the same village, said his family had 100 goats, but now they were left with only five.

Due to persistent delayed rains and fodder shortage, farmers were left with no option but to sell livestock to meet their day to day expenses. “Only in this village, we had around 3,000 cows with a large number of goats and sheep, but now there are less than 100 cows,” he lamented.

Recounting the prosperous days, Abdul Majeed said they had access to 32 grasses and plant species back in the day which they used as animal fodder. “Some precious plants are still used as herbal medicines for home remedies,” he explained.

Abdul Majeed, an elder in the community, said Kohistan still produced best quality onion. “It arrives in the market in winter. Farmers earn as much as Rs125,000/acre of onion,” he said.

But it all depended on the market forces, he said. “Sometimes farmers face huge losses due to prices ups and downs. That is why many farmers are reluctant to cultivate onion in this area,” the community elder added.

The government built Darawat reservoir in Kohistan to feed the farmers through a canal system, but it was yet to become functional. The elderly people demand establishing  Kaccho and Kohistan Development Authority (KKDA) for the drought affected communities to protect resources and ensure provision of better livelihood.

Sindh reportedly has 65 percent land in the arid zone, comprising Kaccho, Kohistan, Tharparkar and Achhro Thar (white desert). Kohistan region spreads over around 23,000 square kilometres.

Some influential landlords have installed tube-wells, but most of the families residing in these arid areas depend on rainfall for farming and livestock rearing.

Until a few years ago, farmers cultivated pearl mullet, kidney beans, melon, watermelons and other crops. But now they are reluctant to cultivate melon and pulses because of uncertain monsoons.

Water scarcity over the years has discouraged the farmers from cultivating many traditional crops. Instead, many people from the community began working as excavators to sell sand and gravel to the stone-crushing plants nearby.