DERA GHAZI KHAN, Nov 10: The Punjab Highway patrolling police on Monday seized 5,400 fertilisers bags loaded onto nine trucks bound for Afghanistan here at Triman border check post and arrested the drivers.

The trucks have been impounded for violating the ban on inter-provincial movement of fertilisers. Farmers of Balochistan and the NWFP are reportedly facing hardships because of the ban on movement of fertilisers.

A representative of peasants’ community, Salam Khan, told this correspondent that farmers were facing uncertainty regarding the inputs as they could not get supply of fertilisers and seeds from Punjab.

Food department deputy director Rao Tauheed said: “There is a complete ban on inter-provincial movement of wheat/flour/seed and fertilisers and one who wants to get fertilisers for agriculture, should get permission from the secretary (food).”

He said only authorised companies could carry fertilisers out of the province under special permission.

Meanwhile, the district officer (agriculture) said there was shortage of seeds because of the ban and the department was providing the facility of grading system at the doorstep of farmer to select the best seed from his own stock.