SWABI: Growers here have started harvesting white patta (WP) tobacco, which is widely used in snuff (naswar) in the country.

Farmers from different areas and their leaders told this scribe that the process of harvesting and drying crop was expected to continue for three weeks. Tobacco and sugarcane are the main cash crops cultivated by farmers in the district.

However, the growers in the district are more familiar with the former.

Officials in the companies said that in the current year the total demand of tobacco purchasing companies is 49.67 million kilogrammes.

The demand for flu-cured Virginia (FCV) through Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB) is 47.890 million kilogrammes and WP 0.5 million kg.

Total 53 companies have announced their quota, but it seems that the major share would be purchased by Pakistan Tobacco Company (PTC) and Phillip Morris (Pak) Limited. Of total demand of 49.67 million kg, PTC has planned to buy 28 million kg and Phillip Morris 7.87 million kg tobacco.

The businessmen usually buy complete fields of WP and harvest that according to their priorities and demand, while common farmers place the harvested crop under open sky for about a week to dry.

Meanwhile, the Virginia growers said that they would commence curing of the crop in the second week of current month.

FIRECRACKERS: Members of district Islahi Jirga have demanded of the district administration to take steps for complete ban on the sale and use of firecrackers, which pose a grave threat to the children and cause pollution.

They said in a meeting that the firecrackers had started arriving in the local markets.

They said that they did not know how the police allowed manufacturing and then sale of firecrackers in open markets.

Gul Mast Khan, president of the jirga, said that in fact the children did not know about the harm firecrackers could cause to them. He said that it was responsibility of the police to arrest the traders who sold firecrackers.

Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2018