Wheat crop this year has not been very good.

Maund (50kilo) prices range from 1700-60 and thats after months of hard work and labour. Peanuts.

As agri land becomes scarce every in Yousafzai lands, farming is become untenable. Young men have headed out to Gulf since 1970s.

With the global economic meltdown triggered by corona virus getting worse, so many will be losing jobs in Gulf. It is not a good sign.

Not many jobs are being created in the domestic industrial or services sector here.

As for the sarkari jobs, there is a mad fight going...

...among MPA,MNA,Ministers over who gets the class iv jobs to further their network of political privilege. In the bhartee Hunger Games, bhaanjay, bhateejay, cousins, come out as winners.

The only region in KP where farming is only slightly sustainable is probably Charsadda and some parts of Mardan where there is still enough agricultural land and enough water. As for the rest of KP proper and ex fata, there is little agri land.

Land becomes scarcer with every generational distribution. It is down to Kanals and Marlas in most parts. Which are small units of land. 1 kanal=20 marla.

Not many left who can boast of Jareeb (jeerab) or Acres in these parts.

One place that I think has tremendous agri potential are the large swathes of land in DI khan, Lakki, Tank, Bannu, which are not far from the Indus, Tochi and Kurram.

If only someone can do what the Gora did in parts West Punjab (now Pak Punjab): form a basic irrigation system.

In KP where we breed like rabbits, I reckon the population is expected to be around 70 million in 2050. Food security is going to be a huge problem. Already there is occassional friction with Punjab over wheat.

We have to tap into this southern KP region that I mentioned.

Ever since I have been a kid, I have seen old men from Lakki, DI khan, Tank talk about something called the Chashma Lift Canal which will transform the 1000s of acres of this virgin land and make them Chaudhries and Waderas and what not.

As of now, everyone and their dog in

...the region has 100s of Jareeb of land that produces nothing. Because there is no irrigation system in a land that has at least three 3 rivers and dozens of tributaries.