SWABI: Tobacco growers of various areas have demanded of the purchasing companies to review their Flue-Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco rejection policy during purchase because it causes great financial loss to them.

During a visit by this correspondent to tobacco purchasing centres here on Saturday, the farmers said that the leaf managers of the companies and private buyers should not reject their prepared tobacco bales under various pretexts. They said that the application of rejection policy had been resulting in devaluation of the crop.

Shahbaz Khan of Salim Khan area said that usually some tobacco traders would wait for the rejected bales outside the purchasing centres and buy the same from the growers at throwaway prices. “It has been causing a great financial loss to the growers,” he said.

The growers pointed out that the rejected bales were bought from them by the traders and the companies had been buying the same from them without any hesitation. They said that the whole drama was staged to trick the growers.

“We, the poor farmers, have been witnessing this practice since long, but can’t do anything to stop it. There is no one to check this policy of exploitation,” said Sherin Khan of Maneri Bala.

Countering the growers’ point of view, the companies’ officials said that the growers were used to wetting FCV tobacco to increase its weight. “We have no option, but to reject wet bales.” They said that they also rejected bales when there was problem in grading of the crop.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2014