NAKODAR /NURMAHAL/SJHAHKOT
Though rich farmers have constructed permanent sheds for storing wheat straw (turri) it is the huge conical mounds, called kupp, that are still the default mode of storage for average farmers across the state.
Once the harvesting season ends, kupps become ubiquitous in all the fields. It is a cheap and easy way of storing the chaff and wheat straw, which are eventually used as cattle fodder.
After the area for making a Kupp is earmarked a circular boundary of straw, and sticks is laid out. After this chaff is filled into the center to ensure it fits tightly into the earmarked space. This process is repeated several times until a particular height is reached. The hay is then secured with the help of rope or metal wire.
Earlier, the piling up of chaff, which is done in concentric circles, was carried out by the farmers themselves but the recent influx of migrant labourers into the state has led to the job being shifted to the latter.
Paramjit Singh Uppal a resident of Uppal village and a rich farmer said that he paid Rss12000 to fill chaff from 150 trollies into 7 kupps and usually 10 trolleys of chaff are filled into one kupp, which has an average height of 10 feet. He said apart from this he has spent Rs 2000 for purchasing wires and ropes and Rs 22,000 for preparing wheat chaff with machines.