WANA     -    Pests and insects have damaged fruit and vegetables while recent hailstorm has also destroyed crops in Lower South Waziristan district.

Owner of fruit orchards, including Dildar Khan, Sibghat Wazir and Amir Wazir, said that this year hundreds of vegetable and fruit orchards were attacked by poisonous insects and gardens worth millions of rupees were wasted. On the other hand, farmers said the sprays being provided by the government authorities were not genuine, which is why the crops got damaged by pests.

Meanwhile, District Agriculture Officer Habibur Rehman told this correspondent that the medicine for the fruit fly had not yet reached Waziristan region but that it might reach the area within a week. “However, we have already formed groups of elected local government representatives with farmers and training sessions are also being conducted to raise awareness among production and safety of crops,” he added. Meanwhile, standing crops, vegetables and fruit orchards have also been destroyed due to heavy hailstorm, rain and stormy winds in Waziristan region.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Lower South Waziristan Kashmir Khan told media that all employees of the district administration are collecting information about the damage caused by hailstorm in different areas and are engaged in conducting assessment of the damages.

He said the district administration had been alerted to deal with such an emergency situation so that the damages caused by calamities can be redressed.

Most of the people in Lower Waziristan are dependent on agriculture and farming, but due to heavy rains, hailstorms and flash floods yesterday, most of the standing crops have been badly affected.

The local tribal elders said that if the federal and provincial governments did not address the losses, the farmers would face financial difficulties.

They said that most of the farmers here have cultivated crops by taking loans from the markets but after the destruction due to hailstorm, it has become difficult for them to repay the loans.

Local elders have demanded NDMA and PDMA, as well as the federal and provincial governments that all the places affected by hailing in South Waziristan should be surveyed and the area should be declared disaster- hit, and the farmers should be financially supported because their vegetables and orchards have been destroyed.