This time, Ravinder Kumar, a farmer of the border village Treva in Jammu district, has started harvesting his wheat crop with his family members and some locals without waiting for non-local workers, as he is in a hurry to finish the task as early as possible.
Every year, Kumar engaged some non-local workers for the harvesting, but this time he could not wait for the availability of those seasonal workers, so he involved his family members and local villagers to harvest the crop.
Amid tensions on the border following the Pahalgam massacre, panic-stricken farmers have started harvesting their wheat crops across the fence on the International Border (IB) in Jammu, Samba, and Kathua districts.
Fearing that the prevailing tension could escalate at any time, farmers have mobilized all available resources to harvest their ripened wheat crops as quickly as possible.
Ravinder Kumar, a farmer from Treva Panchayat in the Arnia sector of Jammu and Kashmir, told International Business Times that while the situation on the border is currently normal, farmers have decided to expedite their harvesting efforts as a precautionary measure.
In this border belt of Jammu district, the harvest season is often delayed due to the unavailability of non-local workers. However, this time, due to tensions along the border, farmers have initiated harvesting with the help of their family members and local agricultural workers.
Official data underscores the scale of the border population at risk. A total of 457 villages, with a combined population of 4,51,856, are located along the IB and Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu's Kathua, Samba, Jammu, Rajouri, and Poonch districts. Of these, over 1.50 lakh people reside along the 224.5-km LoC stretch, with the remainder living along the IB. These primarily agrarian communities face severe disruption to their livelihoods during periods of cross-border violence, with crops destroyed and markets shuttered.
Meanwhile, in the border areas of Kathua, the harvesting of ripened wheat crops commenced today across the fence in Chak Changa village, along the Zero Line of the Chandwan Border Outpost in the Hiranagar IB sector.
The initiative, carried out under the guidance of Deputy Commissioner Dr. Rakesh Minhas, is the result of seamless coordination between the Agriculture Department, the Border Security Force (BSF), and local farmers.
The harvesting process was formally launched by Chief Agriculture Officer (CAO) Sanjeev Rai Gupta, along with BSF Company Commandant Inspector Mahesh Kumar.
It marked a significant achievement for farmers of the border belt, who are celebrating a bumper wheat harvest this season. Expressing their gratitude, farmers acknowledged the District Administration, Agriculture Department, and the BSF for their unwavering support in ensuring security and providing essential logistical assistance.
The Agriculture Department has deployed 15 tractors and two combine harvesters to facilitate the swift harvesting of wheat crops sown over 350 acres across the fence during the Rabi 2024–25 season.
The initiative, which began as a pilot project during the Rabi 2021–22 season, has expanded significantly, with 90 farmers from villages including Chak Changa, Chak Tanda, Krol Krishna, Karol Maithrain, and Maniyari actively participating in cultivation beyond the fence.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Agriculture Officer Sanjeev Rai Gupta stated, "Our persistent efforts, coupled with technical assistance and the security support of the BSF, have resulted in a successful harvest this year. We are committed to empowering border farmers and ensuring they receive the necessary resources for sustainable agriculture. The harvesting operations will be completed in the next 2–3 days."
A local progressive farmer, Ram Raj, shared his achievement, stating, "This season, I have reaped an impressive 240 quintals of wheat from 12 acres of cultivated land. The Agriculture Department, especially CAO Kathua, has been instrumental in guiding and supporting us from sowing to harvesting."
The occasion was also attended by SMS Hiranagar Tejinder Sharma, AEO Marheen Jamshed Andotra, along with JAEOs and AEAs from the Marheen zone, who remained active in assisting farmers throughout the cultivation process.
