Rabi Season — In Pakistan

Because of the lessons learned in this story, Bilal knows exactly when to sow (mid-October), when to irrigate (every 20 days), and when to harvest (before the heatwave of late May).

By April, the landscape transformed. The green wheat had turned into a golden ocean, waving under the sun. The mustard flowers had bloomed bright yellow, and the air smelled of earth and honey. rabi season in pakistan

They loaded the golden grain onto bullock carts and took it to the local mandi (market). The buyers fought to buy Haji’s wheat because it was dry and hard—perfect for making roti (flatbread). Rice from Kharif gets sticky; wheat from Rabi makes fluffy bread. Because of the lessons learned in this story,

Winter settled in. The fields turned into a lush, green carpet. For four months, the rabi crops grew slowly—which is why they taste so good. The slow growth in cool weather allows wheat to develop strong gluten and chickpeas to become sweet. The mustard flowers had bloomed bright yellow, and

Unlike the frantic Kharif season of rice and sugarcane that demanded heavy rain, Rabi was calm. They prepared the land for —Pakistan’s staple food. They also set aside small plots for chickpeas (chana) and mustard (sarson) .

One morning in January, frost covered the ground. Bilal panicked. "Father! The crops are freezing!"