LAKKI MARWAT: The poor villagers here have started moving towards Punjab for harvesting wheat and gram crops of big landholders to receive some wheat bags in return to help them live through the year.

Harvesting of wheat and gram crops is likely to begin in the next week. Many poor residents in rural areas of Lakki, especially those bordering the Mianwali district of Punjab, used to go across the border for wheat harvesting. They get their wages in kind instead of cash for the around month-longlabour. The wheat fulfills food requirements of villagers for the entire year.

Big landholders in Punjab provide labourers from Lakki district with free accommodation and other facilities till they stay there.

`As the people living in rural localities of the district are poor, they usually go to Punjab for crop harvesting for the sake of making their both ends meet,` said Liaqat, an activist of a humanitarian organisation.

Many parts of the district, particularly Lower Marwat Area, are rain-fed where people grow wheat and gram crops. If it rains on time farmers get desired yield, but untimely orno rains destroy their yearlong labour.

The rain accompanied by hailstorm before the start of harvesting season also proves fatal for the standing wheat and gram crops in the district.

The poor farmers usually have to seek financial help from relatives to complete the process of crops harvesting and threshing.

In such circumstances, the villagers have no option but to go to Punjab to earn a livelihood in shape of getting few wheat bags.

`The male and female members of my family go to Eesakhel area of Punjab every year for harvesting the wheat crop, andgetting some wheat bags in return,` said one Ihsan, adding if the landholder got 12 wheat bags he provided one bag to the labourers.

Ihsan said the expenses incurred on crop threshing were also borne by the zamindar besides he arranged free accommodation for the labourers.

Minhaj, a farmers` leader, said as the vast lands owned by local zamindars were not fertile due to unavailability of water they got low produce from them.

He asked the government to pay heed to promoting agriculture sector in the bacl(ward district as rural population was mainly dependent on it.