SWABI: A house was gutted while three persons were injured in separate road accidents here on Sunday.

The house caught fire in Zarobi village.

Javid Iqbal, the owner, said he called the rescue office in Topi city immediately after his house caught fire. He said though rescuers reached the spot timely, but the fire had already engulfed the entire house.

He said the cause of the fire was electricity short-circuit.

He said no casualty was occurred because the family immediately shifted to a house in the neighbourhood.

Meanwhile, there people, including a woman, were injured in separate road accidents on Sunday, rescue officials said.

A woman and a man were injured when two motorcycles collided in Doubian village. They were taken to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital.

A rickshaw hit a bike on Swabi-Mardan Road near Mansabdar, injuring the biker, identified as Habib Khan of Sheikh Jana village. He was taken to Kalu Khan Civil Hospital.

MUSTARD CROP: The growers on Sunday demanded of the government to purchase their mustard seed at reasonable price, so they are not forced to sell it at throwaway rates.

The harvest of the mustard crop, which is grown across the district, has started, the growers said while speaking at a meeting held on Sunday.

The growers said the mustard oil-producing units wanted to purchase their seed at Rs6,500 per 50 kilogramme. However, they added the same oil producers purchased the seed from Punjab at Rs8,000 per 50kg.

“The oil producers are ready to pay in advance because there is great demand of mustard oil in the market as it is widely used in treatment of hair and other cures, but they offer very low price,” said Gul Nabi Khan, a farmer of Shahmansoor village.

There are several mustard oil-producing units in the Swabi district.

Jabeen Qamar, an agricultural expert, said research showed that mustard oil could help lower blood pressure and sugar levels in the body. “There are various other benefits of mustard oil,” he added.

Sher Alam Gohati, provincial general secretary of Anjuman-i-Kashtkaran, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said Friday’s hailstones heavily damaged the mustard crop.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2022