SWABI: Leaders of tobacco growers on Tuesday flayed the companies for failing to announce the purchasing quota for the next season in flagrant violation of the tobacco marketing law, MLO-487.

Speaking at a meeting of the members of Tobacco Growers Association Pakistan (TGAP), they said it was responsibility of Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB) to bind the companies to announce their purchasing quota in time. They regretted that PTB had failed to play its role. They accused the board of toeing the policy of buyers.

Through a unanimously-adopted resolution, they held PTB, the purchasing companies and federal commerce ministry responsible for the situation. They said the delay in announcement of quota and tobacco price was forcing farmers to switch to other crops.

On the occasion, Liaqat Yousafzai, TGAP central president, said PTB officials during a meeting with the representatives of the association had assured to make the companies to announce the next year’s purchasing quota, but to no avail.

“PTB, the commerce ministry and companies are bound to announce both price and quota of tobacco on time,” he said

Meanwhile, the police on Tuesday arrested eight persons from rival groups for trading fire.

District police officer Haroon Rashid told mediapersons that the accused, all residents of Tordher village, were arrested along with weapons.

He said cause of the firing was a dispute over a house in Tordher Bazaar near the Jehangira Road.

He said the police had arrested Afzal Ahmed, Ijaz Khan and Nasir Khan from one group and Waqas Ali, Rehmanzeb, Imran Khan, Wali Khan and Ishtiaq Ahmad from the other.

Published in Dawn, November 29th, 2023