Tag: Pakistan Tobacco Board

  • Pakistani Farmers Plan Protests Over Quota Cuts

    Pakistani Farmers Plan Protests Over Quota Cuts

    Tobacco growers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have announced a protest campaign against the Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB) and purchasing companies, accusing them of favoring corporate interests and exploiting farmers. During a meeting led by Tehreek-e-Ittehad Kashtkaran Pakhtunkhwa (TIKP), leaders outlined a phased protest strategy, including public rallies in key tobacco-producing districts and sit-ins outside the PTB in Peshawar, Parliament House, and federal government offices in Islamabad. The growers are protesting a 14.2% reduction in the tobacco quota for 2024, claiming it was announced too late for them to adjust their planting decisions.

    The leaders demanded timely quota announcements, curbs on the smuggling of foreign cigarettes, and increased government support for tobacco exports to boost revenue and benefit farmers. They also criticized the lack of investment in tobacco-producing regions, despite legal obligations for companies to allocate 6% of profits to local development. Additionally, they called for the abolition of the contractual employment system in the tobacco sector and the removal of advance taxes on re-dried tobacco to improve growers’ livelihoods and ensure fair labor practices.

  • Pakistan Growers Reject Purchasing Price

    Pakistan Growers Reject Purchasing Price

    Photo: Taco Tuinstra

    Tobacco growers in Pakistan have rejected the PKR505 ($1.80) per kg tobacco purchasing price set by the Ministry of Commerce for the upcoming marketing season, reports Dawn.

    During a Jan. 13 meeting in the Dagi, Swabi District, grower representatives blasted the Pakistan Tobacco Board for being partial to tobacco buyers in price negotiations. They also accused the purchasing companies of negotiating in bad faith.

    The growers’ leaders demanded that the per-kg tobacco rate should be fixed in proportion to the prevailing record inflation and the high expenditures incurred on production of the crop.

    Grower representative Arif Ali recalled that the companies bought tobacco from growers at PKR425 per kg at initial stage in the 2023 season, but the market price later jumped to PKR1,200 per kg. He said the firms had also failed to fulfil a promise to pay arrears at the end of the season as per the final rate.

    The growers are now planning sit-ins outside the gates of the tobacco purchase centers in the production areas. They also threatened to switch to other crops if their demands were not met.