Tirah people seek alternativeh to poppy crop

TIRAH: The people of Tirah area of Khyber Agency have called upon the government introduce another cash crop before eradicating poppy crop from the area.

The Bara Bazaar and Sepah Unity Organization head Malik Haleem Gul told TNN that the government is setting on fire the poppy crop which is the main cash crop in the area. They said the government should provide them an alternate crop before eradicating the main cash crop of the area.

“Eradication of drugs is not a bad thing, but poppy is a cash crop of our area and the government hasn’t provided any alternate crop for it. The government should provide jobs to the people of Tirah before eradicating this crop,” he said.

On the other hand, Assistant Political Agent Bara Asmatullah Wazir said the administration has made experiments on growing saffron in Tirah. He said the people of Tirah will soon be trained for growing saffron.

He urged the people to desist from growing poppy which is an illegal business.