PESHAWAR, June 1: Poppy crop has been cultivated on more than 4,571 acres in the remote areas of NWFP and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) this year, says an official report.

Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) and local law enforcement agencies have carried out aerial survey of the tribal region and parts of NWFP, according to which poppy has been detected on lands in several pockets.

The teams could not carry out ground survey of the poppy cultivated areas because of the fragile security situation in the areas. Sources said that respective political authorities and district administration did not give clearance to the survey teams. Despite resistance from the growers, poppy crop was destroyed in some parts of Fata and settled areas of the province this year. According to the official figures poppy has been cultivated on 4,275 acres in Khyber, Mohmand and Bajaur regions of Fata and on 296 acres in several parts of NWFP including Kaladhaka and Kohistan.

Officials said that poppy was cultivated on 3,953 acres in the tribal areas last year. In Khyber region poppy was grown on 2,975 acres, in Mohmand on 602 acres and in Bajaur on 357 acres. They said that authorities in the tribal areas had destroyed crop only on 466 acres in 2007, because growers did not allow them destroying the crop.

Local people in Barang tehsil of Bajaur region told Dawn that poppy had been cultivated in inaccessible areas. They said that Targhau, Dan and Mana Ser were the main areas where bumper crop had been yielded.

“These poor people have no other source of income and have been relaying only on growing poppy,” said a tribal elder. He said that local administration had destroyed poppy crop in plain areas of Bajaur, but they had yet to penetrate in remote areas because of non-availability of roads. He complained that local farmers were not receiving seeds and fertilisers free of cost and as those were being sold in the market.

Poppy crop was brought to “zero level” in NWFP and tribal areas in the year 2000, according to the official reports. At that time Taliban government in Afghanistan had also placed ban on poppy cultivation in their country.

However people in Fata and parts of NWFP particularly Kaladhaka and pockets of Charsadda district resumed poppy cultivation and officials said the banned crop was cultivated on 8,000 acres in the year 2002.

The government with the financial assistance of Narcotics Affairs Section (NAS) of the United States of America had launched agriculture extension programme in Khyber, Mohmand, Bajaur of Fata and Kohistan and Kaladhaka in NWFP in 2002 to encourage farmers to abandon growing poppy and switch over to other crops.

Under the programme free seeds, fertilisers were being provided to the farmers to start growing other cash crops. Besides, officials said, irrigation channels, drinking water supply schemes and roads were being constructed in the target areas.