SWABI: Leaf rust disease has attacked the wheat crop in most of the farming regions of Swabi, especially low-lying areas, due to an unexpectedly long rain spell and cold weather, farmers said here on Saturday.

Talking to Dawn, they said most of them had no means to carry out pesticide spray on their crops to avoid spread of the disease, potentially impacting their yields this year.

They feared the disease could spread rapidly if the crop at the critical stage of blossoming was left unattended.

Wisal Mohammad, a farmer in Naro Kallay area, leaf rust needed to be controlled in time to avoid losses in yield.

He said most farmers couldn’t afford spraying their fields chemically to eradicate the disease due to their poor financial position.

The farmers said growing wheat crop had become very expensive for them due to rust and other diseases caused by changing weather.

When contacted, an agriculture department official told Dawn that the farmers should not take the leaf rust disease lightly and spray the crop in time. However, he said many farmers couldn’t do so due to their feeble financial condition.

However, the abundant rain has put positive effect on the crop in rain-fed regions, where farmers expect a good yield.

The gram crop growers were also delighted at the abundant rainfall, hoping to have healthy yields.

FOUR INJURED: Four people were injured when a rickshaw and a motorcycle collided in Charbagh area here on Saturday, Rescue 1122 officials said.

They said on receiving information from the rescue control room, an emergency medical team along with an ambulance was dispatched to the accident site.

The officials said the injured, including Shakeel Khan, 27, Ataur Rahman, 30, Saeed Khan, 18, and Abbas Khan, 17, were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital, Swabi, after being given first aid on the spot.

All the injured hailed from Charbagh village.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2024