Muhammad Ameen, chairman of Pakistan’s Fair Trade in Tobacco (FTT), called on authorities and the Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB) to intervene and safeguard smallholder farmers, citing delayed payments and illegal underpricing of crops. He said that continued mishandling of the current crop by the local companies will damage the domestic economy and threaten Pakistan’s credibility as a reliable exporter.
“Tobacco farmers are being pushed to the brink,” Ameen said. “They are being forced to sell their crop at prices Rs. 200 ($0.70) below the legally mandated weighted average, and the payments they are owed are being delayed. If we allow local crops to be spoiled or go unsold, our international buyers will look elsewhere. We risk losing markets just as we’re beginning to gain ground.”
Ameen warned that non-compliance with PTB purchase quotas threatens the sector’s backbone, despite a 158% surge in tobacco exports in FY 2024–25, from $64.4 million to $166.5 million.
