North East Pulse | Lost Harvests of Manipur: Conflict Turns Farmland Into No-Man’s Land - video Dailymotion

Asianet News English

Manipur’s once-thriving paddy fields now lie barren, scarred by ethnic violence since May 3, 2023. A miles-long buffer zone has cut off Kuki and Meitei farmers from their land, halting rice cultivation, the state’s lifeline. Thousands like Ngulsang in Chingphei village have lost their livelihoods, as fertile fields in conflict zones remain abandoned under constant security fears.  #NorthEastPulse #Manipur #Farmers #EthnicViolence #LostHarvest #AgricultureCrisis #Churachandpur #Kangpokpi #KukiMeiteiFarmers #ConflictImpact #India   🔊 LIKE ➡ SHARE ➡ SUBSCRIBE  For More Updates:  English: https://newsable.asianetnews.com/  Hindi: https://hindi.asianetnews.com/  Malayalam: https://www.asianetnews.com/  Kannada: https://kannada.asianetnews.com/  Tamil: https://tamil.asianetnews.com/  Telugu: https://telugu.asianetnews.com/  Bengali: https://bangla.asianetnews.com/  Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AsianetNewsa...  Follow us on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/AsianetNewsEN  Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ann.newsable/  ➡ If you like our video, give us a thumbs up and subscribe to our channel to get the daily dosage of news, entertainment, sports and more.

Transcript

00:00The barren paddy fields stretching between the valley and the hills of

00:04Manipur stand as silent witnesses to the deep scars left by the ethnic violence

00:09that erupted on May 3, 2023. Once a shared space where both Kuki and

00:15Maiti farmers cultivated paddy side-by-side, these fields now lie abundant.

00:23The miles-long buffer zone carved out in the aftermath of the conflict has

00:28turned fertile farmland into no-man's land, off-limits due to constant

00:33security fears. In Ching Pai village, we met Nagul Sangh, a farmer who like many

00:39others in the region is living in quiet distress. For over two years he has been

00:44unable to return to his land, his source of livelihood lost to a conflict that

00:49refuses to fade.

00:51Due to these classes, we are living hard. The source, the family source, the whole area,

01:12source is coming from agri. So due to these classes, we cannot, we are not be able to

01:23cultivate our entire area. So personally, myself, the source of my income is very

01:34shortest now. It is very difficult to live.

01:37In Manipur, rice cultivation is more than just agriculture, it's a way of life. As the

01:44state's staple food, rice is grown by nearly 2.3 lakh farmers across approximately 1.95

01:51lakh hectares of land. The vast majority of these cultivators are marginal farmers, working

01:57on small plots that sustain their families and communities.

02:01However, since the outbreak of ethnic violence, Manipur's agricultural heartbeat has been disrupted.

02:08The ongoing conflict has severely impacted farm productivity, leading to significant economic

02:13losses across the state. The worst-hit areas lie along the sensitive foothill regions connecting

02:21Kangpokpi with Imphal East and Imphal West, as well as Turachandpur and Bishnupur. In these

02:28fertile, yet now fractured zones, fields that once flourished with paddy, now lie uncultivated,

02:35victims of fear, displacement and deepening divides.

02:39For Turachandpur district, the area is very large. Because we, Turachandpur face two districts.

02:52One is Bishnupur and the other is Kaksing district. And here in our area, the area covered is Kangwai

03:02block and then Samulamlan and then Changaikot. So, mostly in Chushanpur, the paddy fields are located in this area.

03:15So, for farmers, the uncultivated area is very much large.

03:24The futility of violence is etched into these barren fields. When farms are destroyed,

03:31it's not just crops that vanish. It's food, livelihoods and the fragile hope for peace.

03:37For Manipur's paddy farmers, the land is more than soil. It's survival, identity and dignity.

03:44The longer it lies abundant, the deeper the divide grows. Rebuilding won't come through conflict,

03:50but through dialogue, protection and support. Only then can farmers return to their fields

03:56and reclaim their harvests and their future.

North East Pulse | Lost Harvests of Manipur: Conflict Turns Farmland Into No-Man’s Land

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