Himachal Farmers Unable To Take Crops To Market As Rains Wash Away Lahaul-Spiti Roads

Raman Kant

Mandi (Himachal): The crops were ready. Like every year, farmers from the remote Himalayan region of Lahaul-Spiti in Himachal Pradesh were preparing to sell their crops at local mandis, from where they would be transported to Delhi, Chandigarh and other parts of north India.

According to the Fruit Vegetable and Flower Producers Association president Harish Chauhan, Lahaul’s peas are quite in demand in Chandigarh and New Delhi.

“They are of notable importance as they enter the market precisely when the supply from the other regions dwindle… they are known for their sweet flavour and extended shelf life,” said Chauhan.

But the relentless downpour in the state in July washed away their plans, quite literally. The rains damaged key roads, making it difficult to transport the harvested crops and compelling farmers to discard the ripened produce.

According to India Meteorological Department, Lahaul-Spiti received 112.2 mm of rainfall on the night of July 9, which is close to the average rainfall the region receives during the whole month. It was back in 1951 when Lahaul Spiti recorded a previous high of 73 mm of rain in a single day.

Despite challenging agricultural conditions, the economy of Lahaul-Spiti is primarily reliant on farming. Farmers in the district only manage to cultivate one crop per season since the region is covered in snow for almost six months. Many families survive on the earnings of this one crop and focus on cash crops like potatoes, peas, cabbage, and exotic vegetables like lettuce, red cabbage, zucchini and broccoli.

In certain regions, farmers engage in a dual-cropping practice in a single season. They initiate cultivation of the first crop — including lettuce, cauliflower, parsley, cabbage and peas — during early March, with harvesting taking place in July. Subsequently, they proceed to cultivate similar crops once more, achieving a subsequent harvest towards early October.

In Lahaul-Spiti, farmers commence cultivation in March, and harvest kicks off in the first week of July. Typically, farmers are spared the need to visit the mandi (market) for selling their yields. Instead, intermediaries known as adhtiyas, equipped with their vehicles, gather and load vegetables from designated collection points near the fields.

Subsequently, they sell the produce in markets within Himachal Pradesh and beyond, continuing this practice from July through October. However, this year, adverse weather conditions and road closures have hindered adhtiyas from reaching Lahaul, disrupting this established process, said retired agriculture department official Rajender Thakur.

“With the roads closed, peas, which do not have a long shelf life, rotted as we waited. The excess moisture in the air sped up the process. I have lost Rs 1-1.5 lakh approximately,” said Param Singh, a farmer from Pattan Valley.

Sudarshan Jaspa, president of Lahaul Spiti Potato Society, highlights the dire state of roads in the district as a result of recent natural calamity. Villages like Rashil, Jahalma, Nalda, Jobrang, and Madgran experienced a heightened impact, he said.

“The connectivity of numerous villages has been entirely severed from the primary road network. In instances where farmers manage to transport their crops to the main road, the middlemen have significantly reduced the prices offered for their produce,” he added.

“I have conducted a price comparison for peas in Delhi, where the cost per kilogram has surged to Rs. 130. In contrast, despite possessing superior quality peas, local farmers are receiving a mere Rs. 30 per kilogram. This has further exacerbated the challenges faced by the farmers during this time of adversity,” Jaspa claimed.

Take Motilal of Madgran village, for example. His family of four is solely dependent on agriculture for livelihood.

“I can only take the crop to market once in a year and I am unable to do so this year. Large vehicles are no longer plying, only smaller vehicles are able to make it. Usually, I would have earned around 2-3 lakh from peas but this year I feel my earnings will drop at least two-thirds. I am worried about my family,” he said.

Farmers have conveyed their apprehensions regarding damages to the local authorities. But the likelihood of them receiving compensation appears slim, given the current state of disaster and the challenging economic circumstances faced by the state.

Furthermore, the Fasal Bima Yojana does not encompass provisions for compensation in such scenarios. Its scope is limited to instances of crop loss or failure occurring solely within the farmer’s own field, said Sham Azad, a farmer.

Farmers have had to assume responsibility of unblocking roads, with Inderjit Singh Bhanu of Rashil village saying that the community collaborated to clear pathways.

“Nevertheless, closure of the primary Kullu-Manali route has presented obstacles to vegetable sales. Formerly, farmers would market their harvest in Kullu-Manali’s markets, yet this season the closure of local markets spanning the distance from Kullu to Mandi district has forced farmers to confront the challenge of marketing their crops,” he told 101Reporters.

As per State Disaster Management report released earlier this month, the Public Works Department (PWD) has incurred a substantial loss of approximately Rs 1900 crore, while the Agriculture Department has faced losses totalling Rs 158 crore. Currently, over 293 roads remain impassable across the state.

BC Negi, Executive Engineer of PWD, said a majority of roads had been successfully reopened by the first week of August.

“The department has incurred losses amounting to approximately Rs 20 crore due to the combined impact of heavy rainfall and landslides. A bridge situated in the Sissu area of the district has been left inoperable, necessitating ongoing preparations for the installation of a suspension bridge as a viable substitute,” he added.

(Raman Kant is an Himachal Pradesh-based freelance journalist and a member of 101Reporters, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters)