KHAR: Farmers’ community in Bajaur Agency on Friday expressed dismay over the longstanding ban on transportation of fertiliser in the region, and demanded immediate lifting of the restriction.

Talking to Dawn here, growers hailing from different localities of the agency said the ban had badly affected their crops, which inflicted huge financial losses on them as the agriculture was the main source of their living.

Abdul Waheed from Mamond area said the ban on fertiliser had taken a heavy toll on their crops.

Ajab Khan, a grower from Qazafi area of Utmankhel, said owing to the ban on transportation of fertiliser into the agency slapped three months ago he was no unable to get desired harvest of his crop.

He said he was living only two kilometres away from Munda Bazaar of Lower Dir district, but was unable to get the fertiliser from there as the commodity could not be shipped into the tribal agency.

I have been visiting the Khar Bazaar for last one week to get fertiliser, but the commodity is not available there,” lamented Sultan Khan of Yousaf Abad area.

According to the farmers, the authorities had slapped the ban at a time when their wheat, tomato, onion and potato crops needed fertiliser the most.

They said the ban would dwindle their agriculture production at a time when they were already reeling from the effects of militancy.

The farmers appealed to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor and the officials concerned to lift the ban immediately.

They also demanded of the authorities to adopt a proper mechanism to control harmful use of the fertiliser as it was used in explosives.

An official told Dawn that the restriction on transportation of fertiliser was imposed on the directives of authorities to prevent its use in making of explosives.

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2017