Kathua: Harvest Held Up, Firing at LoC Scares Away Farm Labourers
Migrant agricultural workers fear that they might fall prey to bullets from across the border.
Troubled by frequent bouts of heavy gunfire along the LoC, farmers in Jammu’s Kathua district are finding it difficult to hire agricultural labourers. Fearing that they might fall prey to bullets from across the border, most agricultural labourers have now stopped working in fields located near India’s tense frontier with Pakistan.
The season for harvest is here, but farmers in the region say they’ve been forced to acquire additional labour at double the cost. The economy of the entire belt is reliant on its agricultural output, a shortfall in which could lead to significant unrest in the farming chain.
Ever since New Delhi confirmed that its Army had carried out surgical strikes along the LoC, India’s de-facto border with Pakistan, there have been at least 29 incidents of cease-fire violations. This has exerted a tremendous amount of stress on areas overlooking the border.
Video Editor: Prashant Bhardwaj
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)