SWABI: Growers have rejected the Rs505 per kilogramme tobacco purchasing price fixed for the current year, and announced to launch a protest movement against the federal ministry of commerce over its decision.

They made the decision during a meeting held at Mathra Park in Dagi here on Saturday.

The participants declared that the purchasing companies had deceived the farmers as they had failed to fulfill the pledges on several occasions. They also blasted the Pakistan Tobacco Board for its ‘controversial’ role in determining tobacco price, and ‘always toeing the company’s line’.

A large number of farmers from across the district participated in the protest meeting.

The participants vowed to continue their struggle from a joint platform, resisting the ‘tactics’ used by the companies to earn billions of rupees at the cost of poor growers.

Ittehad Kashtkaran chairman Arif Ali Khan, central president of Tobacco Growers Association Pakistan Liaqat Yousafzai, Faridullah Kaka, a leader of Kashtkar Coordination Council, and others spoke on the occasion.

The growers’ leaders demanded that the per kg tobacco rate should be fixed in proportion to the prevailing record inflation and the high expenditures incurred on production of the crop.

On the occasion, Arif Ali recalled that the companies bought tobacco from growers at Rs425 per kg at initial stage in the 2023 season, but the market price later jumped to Rs1,200 per kg. He said the firms promised to pay the arrears at the end of the season as per the final rate, but to no avail.

Liaqat Yousafzai said different growers’ associations had jointly started a campaign, collecting vouchers of the low purchase price from farmers, who had agreements with the companies.

In the second phase, he said a sit-in would be staged outside the gates of the tobacco purchase centres in the production areas.

The growers’ leaders said in case of the companies’ failure to meet the demands, a campaign would be launched, asking farmers to switch to other crops.

Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2024