KHAR: The yield of maize crop witnessed significant increase in Bajaur Agency during the current season as authorities lifted ban on growing of maize in almost all areas of the region.

Sadiq Jan, a resident of Mamond tehsil, told this scribe that he cultivated maize on his land for the first time since 2007 as administration allowed farmers to grow maize. “All growers are happy to restart growing maize in the region after a decade as maize is the second largest crop after wheat in our area,” he added.

Wazir Khan, a farmer from Charmang, said that lifting ban on growing maize along the roadsides by the administration helped them to increase yield of the crop in the region.

“This is the first time during the past several years that authorities have allowed us to cultivate maize. The cultivation of maize was prohibited owing to security reasons,” he said.

Authorities allow cultivation of crop after a long time

Asghar Khan, a resident of Kaga area, said that his area was famous for maize crop in the entire agency. However, he said, the growers were unable to cultivate the crop after the launch of military operation against terrorists in the region in August 2008 as authorities banned cultivation of maize crop in most areas of Bajaur.

Abdul Hakeem Khan, a resident of Salarzai, said that farmers were happy to grow maize after a long time. The increase in the yield also helped to bring down price of maize in the agency.

Azmat Khan, a shopkeeper in Sadiqabad Market, said that price of 100 kilograms maize was reduced from Rs1,300 to Rs950.

DRIVE: Three days anti-polio campaign was launched in Bajaur Agency on Monday.

Dr Himayatullah Khan, the field supervisor medical officer, said that 230,000 children below five years would be administered oral vaccine across the agency during the campaign.

He said that 714 teams comprising more than 16,00 health workers, schoolteachers and volunteers were taking part in the drive. He said that local administration and security forces made arrangements for the protection of the polio teams.

The official said that Bajaur Agency had not recoded any polio case since November 2014.

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2017