SWABI: Growers here have started plantation of both Virginia and white patta tobacco, which would continue for about three weeks.

In this regard, a ceremony was held here on Friday to commence tobacco plantation in Swabi district. It was organised by Kashthkar Coordination Council (KCC) and attended by members of Kisan Board and tobacco growers from different regions.

Both Virginia and white patta tobacco are widely grown in the district and about 50 per cent people of the district earn their livelihood directly or indirectly from the tobacco fields. Majority of the leaders of political parties in Swabi district have their tobacco business, while several small cigarette manufacturing companies are also located here. The cigarette manufactures face no difficulty to get the flue-cured Virginia (FCV) and manpower here.

Members of the grower representative bodies said that after the 18th Amendment tobacco crop should not remain in the domain of the federal government and it should be made a provincial subject.

“We oppose the federal government’s policy to keep tobacco crop in its domain,” said KCC general secretary Liaquat Yousufzai.

He said that the total demand of the FCV was 65.27 million kilogrammes, dark air-cured 2.35 million kgs, white patta tobacco 1.3 million kgs and barley tobacco 0.16 million kgs. He said that the overall total demand stood at 69 million kgs.

Other speakers said that some of the growers would cultivate non-recommended varieties of tobacco because of the favourable conditions in their area.

They said that each year the companies raised hue and cry, but later purchased the crop.

Officials in the companies said that they had advised the growers to execute agreement with the companies of their own choice and plan production of the crop according to their purchase targets while avoiding surplus tobacco production.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Tobacco Company organised a workshop at Leaf depot in Saleem Khan area here on Friday to apprise the growers of the crop requirement for the current year and advise them against cultivating non-recommended varieties.

Tilawat Khan, a PTC officer, said that it was responsibility of the companies and Pakistan Tobacco Board to educate farmers on different aspects of the crop cultivation and care.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2015

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