SWABI: Ittehad-i-Kashtkaran, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have rejected the Rs245 per kg price of tobacco and unanimously demanded the Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB) and the Federal Ministry of Commerce to set the price for procurement of flue-cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco by the companies and businessmen at Rs350 per kg keeping in view the prices of fertaliser and other inputs.

The demand was made here on Wednesday during the general council meeting of Ittehad-i-Kashtkaran, which was presided over by its central president Arif Ali Khan.

The growers demanded that companies should offer at least Rs350 per kg price instead of Rs245 per kg for FCV tobacco. Purchase of the FCV tobacco has started a few days ago.

Arif Ali said the companies who refused to buytheir allotted quotalast year were still in the buying field, demanding that such companies should be blacklisted by the government. He claimed that the companies had inflicted financial losses on the growers, which resulted in drop in tobacco production this year.

On this occasion, the farmers’ body’s senior vice-president Daud Jan Ismalia said the PTB should play its due role to help the farmers and save them from bankruptcy.

The participants said in a resolution that the government should force the companies to clear dues of the growers.

KILLED: Four persons were killed in various incidents here, police said on Wednesday.

One Sajjad Khan was killed over an old enmity in Rashakai village when his rivals opened fire on him. In another incident, one Raees Khan allegedly opened fire on his brother Fayaz Khan who died instantly in Ayub Khan village. The cause of the incident was stated to be a domestic dispute.

Kashif Khan and Mustamir Khan allegedly shot dead Qamraish Khan of Jalbai village over a mobile phone theft. In Jalsai village, one Alaf Khan was killed over an old enmity when his rivals Asif Khan and Javid Khan opened fire on him.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2022