Jammu, July 9:
The effect of the changed environment in Jammu and Kashmir has started showing in the agriculture sector as well. After 12 years, the district administration has started agriculture near the zero line on the India-Pakistan international border in Samba. On Monday, farmers sowed urad in 500 kanal of land.
Due to fear of firing from Pakistan, farmers had stopped farming on the border. Due to this, 800 kanal of farmers’ land on the zero line was lying barren. Out of this, the Border Security Force has leveled 500 kanal of land and made it suitable for farming. At present, efforts are underway to make 300 kanal of land suitable for farming.
According to the information, the officials of the Agriculture Department went to the spot and distributed free seeds to the farmers. Earlier, wheat and sesame were also cultivated here. The BSF jawans engaged in monitoring the border helped the farmers to plow their land in complete security. There was a time when the land ahead of the fencing was barren.
Whenever the farmers went to the field, Pakistani Rangers used to shoot at them. Due to this, the farmers stopped going to their land and this cultivated land became barren. Chief Agriculture Officer Madan Gopal Singh, Sumit Dutt, Vikas Sharma and Kulbir Singh of Rajpura Zone said that starting farming here will give economic strength to the farmers.