January 18, 2002	Friday	Ziqa'ad 3, 1422

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BAJAUR, Jan 17: The political administration of Bajaur Agency has arrested 20 farmers for growing poppy in different areas of the Salarzai sub-division here on Thursday.

The farmers were arrested under Section 40 of the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) for violating a ban on poppy cultivation in the tribal agency, sources told Dawn, saying that the detainees had grown poppy on 4,000 acres.

The detained growers belonged to far-flung areas of the agency like Dherakai, Dankol, Srowano, Chelargam, Shingar Gul, upper and lower Madak and Mulla Syed, the sources said.

Officials said that the administration had resolved to eliminate poppy cultivation in the agency, adding that the decision to ban growing of poppy had been conveyed to all farmers of the area.

However, some growers in the remote mountainous areas had violated the ban and had begun cultivating poppy on a vast tract of land, as a result 20 farmers were arrested, they added.

The official sources said that the government had given many incentives to the growers in the agency so that poppy cultivation could be eliminated, revealing that all those violating the ban would have to face strict punitive action.

KISSAN MELA: The political agent of the Bajaur Agency, Mohammad Salim Khan, has said that the government is utilizing all the available resources for the welfare of farmers in the tribal areas.

At the concluding ceremony of a three-day Kissan Mela at Khar on Wednesday, he urged the growers to use modern machinery to make the tribal agency self-sufficient in food production.

A large number of farmers, tribal Maliks, social workers attended the ceremony.