Growers Want Amends for Below-Market Prices

Tobacco growers in Pakistan have asked tobacco companies to compensate them for tobacco purchased at below-market prices and losses caused by rains and hailstorms in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, reports The News International.

In a letter to their representative organizations, the farmers said that independent purchasers paid high price while some domestic and multinational companies purchased the produce at a lower rate.

They urged the organizations to take up the matter with the companies to repay the growers for the lowest price. The tobacco growers also urged the companies to tap into the corporate social responsibilities fund to accommodate the growers.

Pakistan law requires tobacco companies to spend a certain percentage of their profit on the welfare of farmers.