SWABI: Ittehad Kashtkaran Khyber Pakhtunkhwa leaders have demanded that the multinational companies fulfill their commitment made at the start of the tobacco purchasing season that they would compensate the farmers if the price increased at later stages.

They made the demand while speaking at a meeting presided over by the association’s senior vice-chairman Dawood Jan Khan here the other day.

The purchasing season had started on June 19 and completed on September 15.

The participants pointed out the companies had paid Rs425 per kilogramme to the growers, but later the price jumped to Rs1,200 per kg. So, they said the farmers should be compensated for the big price difference.

On the occasion, Dawood Jan said the companies had pledged to pay the arrears to growers at the end of the buying season, but now they were silent on their commitment, causing anxiety among the growers. He asked the Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB) to make the companies pay the arrears.

Iqbal Khan Shewa, vice-chairman of the association, said if the companies failed to pay the price difference between then and now, the growers would approach courts.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2023