By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
A 27-year-old matriculate is driving truck but thinking about the hard labor of farmers in his hilly Choglamsar village. One day he decides to give up driving and work in the field of his father. This was in 1992. No modern methods or equipment were used by farmers in entire Ladakh then. But his curiosity and hard labor of next 10 years changed the way of farming in one of the coldest regions of the country.
The man who introduced modern methods of agriculture and brought Ladakh-friendly machine to the region is Abdul Mateen, now 47, and a father of two.
Abdul Mateen
Mateen has given his extraordinary contributions in the field of agriculture in Ladakh. His innovations have led to the adoption of modern methods of cultivating land and have thereby replaced obsolete, time-consuming and laborious methods of cultivation.
Ladakh, situated in the north of India, has agriculture as the primary occupation of the people. People in this remote region have for centuries used the same time-consuming and back-breaking methods of agriculture to survive in this harsh landscape with a short growing season of seven months.
Abdul Mateen who turned icy desert into green fields
Abdul Mateen is a pioneer who has introduced modern methods in agriculture since 1992, thereby bringing a revolution in agricultural practices in Ladakh. Through his work he has improved the lives of thousands of people living in Ladakh.
“There was no machine in the field. People would plough their field with the help of oxen. The local agriculture department would bring machine but they did not work as they were made for plain areas. Then I decided to do something new,” Mateen tells TCN over phone from Ladakh.
The thresher machine was the first machine that was brought to Ladakh by Abdul Mateen. Previously Ladakhi farmers used indigenous methods of cultivation which were time-consuming. Labourers were hired and the threshing process could take even a few months. The introduction of the thresher machine led to the completion of the same work in only a few hours.
In 1993, Mateen brought a tractor and sowing machine to Ladakh, but these did not succeed for about three years. Since Ladakh is a cold desert the machine were not suitable for agriculture here. He had bought the tractor with a bank loan, but he did not lose heart. Mateen then went to Hissar, Haryana and underwent a training course for two months, which equipped him well with the knowledge of agricultural tools best suited for the Ladakh region. Mateen then went on to discuss the topography of Ladakh with manufacturers who then modified the sowing machine to suit agriculture in Ladakh. The modified sowing machine was sold to many interested Ladakhi farmers and even to the Agricultural Department of Ladakh.
Careful agricultural practices turned the desert of Ladakh into green fields
Two years later, Abdul Mateen brought the disc plough from Punjab to Ladakh, but again the machine was not suited for the region. He then went to Haryana for yet another training course, and after much discussion with the mechanical experts there, the disc plough was modified as per agricultural needs in Ladakh. The disc plough too has proved to be a boon to Ladakhi agriculture and many farmers are still using it.
A few years later alfalfa became popular to cultivate by Ladakhi farmers because it took less effort and produced more income during the harvest season. Since harvest takes place around the same time period in every part of Leh it became difficult for the farmers to procure enough laborers. The demand for the laborers increased and likewise their wages also raised. This was a handicap for Ladakhi farmers as the demand for laborers exceeded the supply. To address this problem Abdul Mateen did research about grass cutters which are very successful in foreign countries. After surveying the options, he found a company in India importing grass cutters. Ludhiana, Punjab was the nearest distributor so he went forth to purchase the grass cutters. Since these machines are expensive and he could not afford to buy it individually, he bought the machine jointly with his friend Mr. Tsering Lonpo who is a leading farmer of Chuchot village. The grass cutter has been successful and they are now the leading dealers of the grass cutter in Ladakh. The Agricultural Department of Ladakh is now also seeking interest in the purchase of the grass cutter and is planning to distribute the machine among the people on subsidized rates.
Extraordinary contribution but no acknowledgement
He has brought a sort of green revolution in the icy desert of Ladakh. Has he been acknowledged by the government? Has he got any award?
“No award yet,” says Mateen the unsung hero.
Ask him what is his demand from the government, he doesn’t utter a word for his own self.
“The government should provide machine and other materials to farmers here on subsidized rate. They should be provided loan,” Mateen says.