SWABI: Representatives of multinational companies on Friday warned the growers to avoid cultivating non-recommended varieties (NRVs) of tobacco or they (the companies) won’t buy the produce from them.

The tobacco purchasing companies officials were speaking at a daylong workshop organised by Pakistan Tobacco Company (PTC) at leaf depot Yaqoobi in Yar Hussain area. Tobacco growers from different areas of the district and Kisan Board members were in attendance.

The organisers said that the workshop was meant to educate the farmers about not cultivating NRVs. They said that tobacco plantation was expected to be commenced in the district very soon as the growers had prepared their lands and the tobacco nursery had been grown.

The tobacco buyers said that it was their responsibility to inform the growers about the repercussions of growing NRVs.

“Both the multinational and national companies would only purchase the recommended varieties,” said a multinational tobacco purchasing company official.

He asked the farmers to grow only PTB recommended varieties, that is, hybrids and other conventional varieties, (spate-28 and K-399), so they could sell their produce easily.

Shafique Haider, field officer of a company, said that they had apprised the growers through PTB and by holding various meetings that they should keep in mind the companies’ demand before cultivating tobacco crop.

The official said that timely land preparation was also a must for better crop quality and yield, adding that the buyers faced various difficulties as the growers failed to follow the companies’ guidelines.

Hidayat Ali Shah, a leaf manager, made it clear that if the growers cultivated NRVs they would face difficulties in selling their crop in the upcoming buying season, which is from June to August, because multinationals companies as well as small companies didn’t want to purchase that type.

Inayat Khan, a grower, advised his community to follow the instructions of companies.

MONEY CHANGER LOOTED: A money changer was deprived of Rs7 million at gunpoint in broad daylight in the congested Zaida bazaar on Friday.

The Zaida police sealed all the entry and exit points to arrest the culprits, but no one was arrested till filing of this report.

Police said that Shahid Khan of Zaida city was on way to office at the district headquarters, Swabi, early in the morning when the robbers snatched cash from him.

Police said that the money changer had not yet registered an FIR into the case, while police had been conducting raids to arrest the robbers.

ELECTED: Gul Bacha and Anwar Haq Dad were elected as president and general secretary of Ghandhara Union of Journalists, respectively, here on Friday.

The other members of the union are Attiqur Rehman senior vice-president, Mohammad Ali Johar vice-president, Usman Ghani Arif joint secretary, Syed Gulzar Mohammad office-secretary and Mohammad Riaz finance secretary, respectively.

Published in Dawn February 21th , 2015

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