Betrayed by rains, growers in Thar may watch crops die of thirst

HYDERABAD: Moosa Khan, a tiller from desert village Paneli, near Deeplo, Tharparkar district, is not sure if his toil will pay off as rainfall continues to remain totally chancy in the region.

Moosa said he had cultivated guar on 20 acres of land after receiving first shower in June this year.

Like him, his brothers also used donkeys and camels for ploughing the land and cultivated mung beans, pearl millet and moth beans. But like other growers in the entire district, they are uncertain regarding the safety of their crops because of delayed rainfall.

Moosa looks frightened for he knows there is no chance of more rainfall anytime soon.

It is the time when crops need two-three more showers to continue their growth. In case of delayed rains immature crops start to dry instantly, leaving nothing behind.

Though some crops sown during the early showers can survive till the second week of August, farmers lose hopes.

In this situation, after three-four months herders usually move to canal areas for rearing their herds. During their stay there they work as labour in rice harvesting and sugarcane peeling.

Traveling to these remote villages through sand dunes, you may see green pastures and crops, as the previous rainfall had given life to trees. But farmers believe this grass may last after the next two- three months in case of no rainfall in the Thar region.

The Paneli village, near Rann of Kutch in Deeplo Tehsil, has around 300 households, mostly farmers and herders.

Muhammad Ibrahim, another farmer in the same neighbourhood, said presently they were unsure about the rains. In case of rainfall after the crops season they may face hardship. “It is because the destruction of already sown crops and fodder loss leaves nothing behind for humans and animals,” Ibrahim said.

Talking about using animals and tractors for ploughing land for cultivation, he said the situation was different.

“Animals (camels and donkeys) take one week or more for covering larger pieces of lands for planting crops.” Compared to

that tractors would take one or two hours for ploughing the same piece of land, he added.

Therefore, he said only influential families preferred to hire tractors for cultivating lands timely, while poor farmers used animals for ploughing their farmland.

The farmers recall the blissful days when they used to receive heavy rains, which cultivated crops, recharged wells, and spread greenery all around.

Farmers said rains were vital for the agrarian economy of the desert.

Javed Sammon, a farmer and the known folklore writer, from Nagar Parkar’s Karoonjhar hill area, said the break of monsoon rains during the months of June and July was disastrous for the agriculture sector in Thar.

Sammon said farmers in Nagar Parkar region usually sowed sorghum, castor oil plants, and other cash crops like onion and vegetables in case of late rains in the end of August and September. “But it depends on the situation,” said he.

Ali Akbar Rahimoo, working with desert communities on water, livelihood, education and entrepreneurship, said usually it was the practice on the part of the provincial government that in case of no rainfall up to August 15 they would declare the region as calamity-hit and announced relief packages for the families and their animals.

Presently, he said, there were no precautionary measures by the government to guide the communities about the difficult time of dryness, despite the fact the fear of shortage of food and fodder was looming over.

Delayed rains till late August and early September, cause the entire grasses and immature crops go dry completely, leaving no option for farmers other than migration to canal areas or selling their animals for survival.

Livestock is the major source of income for the desert communities. Almost all families keep small and larger animals for milk and yogurt.

Only a few influential herders may be able to buy fodder for their animals to avoid loss, but the majority of farmers cannot afford to reinvest in crops and wait for a longer time.