BAJURA: The monsoon crops have dried after a drought in eastern part of Kolti in Bajura district, of late.

After 1965, the farmers of the district have witnessed the drought for the first time, they claimed.

There was no rain in the district during the monsoon season this year, drying water resources also.

Consequently, lack of irrigation facility too has made the arable land dry.

According to the District Agriculture Development Office (DADO), more than 50 per cent of crops are already damaged and if the condition remained same, existing crops would also get damaged.

Earlier, the district would be short of 11,000 metric tons of food annually on an average. However, this year, the shortage is seen increasing than the earlier years, causing the problem of starvation in the district.

People of the district, hence, are worried about possible food crisis after the long drought.

According to the DADO data, out of 20,155 hectares of cultivated land, 2,418 hectares and 3,147 hectares of land have partial and full irrigation facilities respectively.

Last year, 8,600 metric tons of paddies were produced in the district, which is going to be down by 35 per cent this year.