GHALANAI: The farmers’ community in Mohmand Agency has expressed concern over the longstanding ban on transportation and movement of fertiliser in the region and demanded immediate lifting of the restriction.

Talking to reporters here, the farmers condemned the ban and said it would put negative impact on the wheat crop.

Mir Afzal from Haleemzai said due to the ban the growers were unable to get fertiliser for their crops. “We expected a good crop of wheat this year but the ban on sale and purchase of fertiliser has dashed our hopes,” he added.

The farmers pointed out that the ban had forced them to get the fertiliser for their crops from Nawagai area of Bajaur Agency. They demanded of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor and Fata secretariat officials to withdraw the ban on fertiliser.

JI Mohmand emir Mohammad Saeed Khan told Dawn that a jirga of Kamali Haleemzai elders was held with Assistant Political Agent, Ghalanai, Abdul Hameed Khattak, on Wednesday to discuss the lifting of the ban on fertiliser. He said the elders criticised the local legislators for not raising the issue of ban on fertiliser with officials concerned, which proved that had no concern for people’s problems.

He said the elders informed the APA that over 22 hours of loadshedding had created severe water shortage in the area. They complained that power supply to local steel mills remained uninterrupted at the cost domestic consumers. The elders also complained about low voltage which was causing damage to their electronic appliances.

The JI leader said political agent Mahmood Aslam Wazir had directed the assistant political agent Ghalanai to take up the issue of fertiliser ban with Mohmand Rifles officials. He said the political administration was likely to allow transportation of fertiliser into the agency in next few days.

Published in Dawn, February 10th, 2017