Spring Brings Planting Season at Kibbutz Ma'oz Tzur
(March 31, 2025) The residents of Kibbutz Ma'oz Tzur are preparing for two things: Passover and seed-sowing. In keeping with the agricultural cycle, seed-sowing will begin once the pre-monsoon April showers arrive. As harmless as the term might sound, locals know that this weather phenomenon bring in severe storms, cyclonic winds that has its outset in the heart of the Bay of Bengal. It hits the hardest in the nearby Bangladesh and extends into northeast India, where Ma'oz Tzur sits on the fringes of the fury of its reach, blowing off tin-roof and shattering bamboo huts. Despite the destruction it wreaks, it brings in a promise of rejuvenation, in the form of water and soil. Similarly, as always, spring brings with it Pesach, the Festival of Freedom. Meticulous plans have to be made to make sure the festival, plantings and the storms to fit in with perfect harmony!
Our newsletter was told by Yitzhak Thangjom of Degel Menashe as he took us through the plans to develop the community and turn it into a cooperative where the residents can find a livelihood after their displacement and disruption following the carnage carried out by Meitei supremacists. It is anything but impossible for them to ever return to their lives in the valley. "Kibbutz Ma'oz Tzur is situated on a 200-acre lot about a 15 minute drive south of Lamka township made available by the BMC chairman, Lalam Hangshing. In keeping with his vision, much of it will remain a forested preserve which will remain untouched, flora, fauna and wildlife. There are plans to zone it and areas designated for development, while keeping conservation and promotion of mutuality with nature, a top priority." He continues, "There are not enough seeds and saplings as we would have liked to buy, which is quite frustrating. We looked for at least a thousand banana saplings but found only 300. In the face of this, we are planning to explore other avenues like fishery, poultry, duck-farming and even livestock. The idea is to produce enough food for all."
Degel Menashe has made the arrangements for the purchase and procurement of the seeds and saplings required and the fields prepared for planting. 300 banana saplings have been planted last week with all the community taking part in it, excepting for the children who were attending school and their teachers. They had to be planted before the pre-monsoon showers, as explained by Ariella Haokip, a Ma'oz Tzur resident, "Bananas need to be planted before the rain comes. Since they are saplings, not seeds, they are already ready to receive the water." Another resident Isca adds, "Bananas take about 9 to 11 months to mature, We should be able to harvest them by the end of the year. By then, rain would have stopped and the bananas will have ripen wonderfully in the winter sun." In addition to that colacasia (taro), ginger, khangkhu (a beloved local garnish) and similar ones are being prepared for the coming rain.
A short breather in the shade.
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