September 7, 2005	Wednesday	Sha’aban 2, 1426

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CHITRAL, Sept 6: The closure of the Garam Chashma road to heavy traffic will cause losses of millions of rupees to farmers of the valley as they will face problems in transporting their potato-crop to other districts.

Potato is produced in large quantities in the valley and is harvested in September to be marketed in adjoining districts.

A special quality of potato produced in the valley is in great demand in other districts and over the years its production has multiplied with technical assistance and guidance of the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme.

Vegetable merchants from other districts throng to the valley in the harvesting season to purchase potato from local farmers.

However, this year it would not be possible due to closure of the road to the valley and it would cost too high to transport the product to the market through light vehicles.

Farmers said that harvesting of the potato would commence next week while work on the road had yet to be started by the Works and Services Department.

The road, it may be mentioned here, had been washed away by flood in June last and had remained closed for all kinds of traffic for two months.

Farmers have expressed fear that neither merchants would come to the valley nor could they afford to transport the product to the market and as a result they (farmers) would suffer loss and the commodity would rot in stores.

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