MANSEHRA: Growers from Batakundi area in Kaghan Valley on Tuesday urged the agriculture department to provide them with quality seed to help them earn a sustainable livelihood.

“Abrupt changes in the weather cycle have severely impacted the agriculture sector, so we can’t even produce enough potatoes and peas to cover our expenses,” Battakundi farmer Mohammad Saeed Mughal told reporters in Garhi Habibullah area here.

Accompanied by a group of farmers from Batakundi, who migrated to Garhi Habibullah after snowfall that cut off the valley from the rest of the country two weeks ago, Mr Mughal highlighted the challenges of his community members.

“We grow off-season potatoes and peas that are renowned for their taste both within and outside the country. However, over the last three to four years, our yields have declined significantly due to a persistent dry spell,” he said.

Complain weather changes badly hit agriculture sector

Mr Mughal said from April to October, the locals grew and harvested two seasonal crops of potatoes and peas.

“During the rest of the year, we live in lower-lying areas of the district as Battakundi and the rest of the valley become deserted due to harsh winters,” he said.

Another farmer, Mohammad Nazir Awan, said nearly 90 per cent of Battakundi’s population relies on agriculture for their livelihood.

“We have been going through a tough time. Middlemen (aartis) sell substandard seeds at high prices, causing significant financial losses for farmers,” he said.

Mr Awan said transportation costs and taxes reduce the profitability of their produce in markets across Hazara and other parts of the country.

“The agriculture department should provide us with quality seeds that yield better crops and can withstand severe cold and dry spells,” he said.

CALL FOR MORE PROVINCES: Tehreek-i-Sobah Hazara chairman Sardar Mohammad Yusuf on Tuesday called for the creation of more provinces in the country.

“If the federal government wants to address socio economic issues faced by the people, it should initiate comprehensive legislation in the National Assembly and Senate to establish more federating units,” Mr Yusuf told a function in Oghi.

He said creation of more federating units should be based on administrative grounds rather than linguistic or ethnic lines.

The TSH leader said the peaceful struggle for establishment of a Hazara province had been under way for nearly three decades.

“In 2010, people of Hazara division made sacrifices for a separate province,” he said.

Mr Yusuf, who is also the central vice president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, said Hazara Tehreek, after consulting with parliamentary leaders of various political and religious parties, had submitted draft resolutions for Hazara province in upper and lower houses of parliament.

“We are optimistic that the National Assembly and Senate will adopt resolutions on Hazara province, as we have already discussed this issue with parliamentary leaders of parties having representation in both houses of parliament,” he said.

Published in Dawn, December 4th, 2024