SWABI, Aug 5: Leaders of political parties and tobacco growers have said the Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTC) has failed to protect the growers’ interests as their exploitation by multinational and national companies goes on unhindered.

During a one-day tobacco conference here on Sunday, they said that the PTC officials were in league with tobacco buyers and aided them in their exploitation of the poor farmers.

The conference was organised by the Community Development Organisation, a local NGO, and was sponsored by the Action Aid NGO. The conference was attended by growers from Swabi, Mardan and Buner, Anjuman-i-Kashtkaran, Ittehad Kashtkaran, Sarhad Chamber of Agriculture, Kissan Board, and Anjuman-i-Kashtkaran and Zamindaran NWFP, representatives of civil societies, MPA Dr Mohammad Salim, and MPA Abdul Majid Khan.

The growers’ leaders criticized the legislators, alleging that after reaching the assemblies they did not raise their voice for growers’ rights.

Chairman of Swabi Qaumi Mahaz Dr Salim said that all the MPAs were ignorant about the tobacco cess fund. He and Abdul Majid Khan MPA had brought it to the notice of the government because 45 per cent of tobacco had been produced in the district Swabi and it had a lion’s share in the fund.

Replying about the alleged embezzling and releasing of cess fund, Abdul Majid Khan MPA said that during the chief minister’s visit in 2006 he announced Rs150 million from the cess fund for the district but there were still certain hurdles in getting it.

Jan Nisar Khan Khalil, president Anjuman-i-Kashthkaran, and Zamindaran NWFP demanded that either tobacco should be included in the Pakistan Trade Corporation’s list or growers should be allowed to cultivate poppy crop like in India. The Indians were allowed by the international community to cultivate poppy which was being used in various medicines. “We want tobacco cultivation on the same pattern.”

Aman Khan, former general secretary of the ANP, said that the prices of fertilisers and pesticides had increased manifold and the growers had utterly failed in persuading companies to increase tobacco prices. He said: “So far there has been disunity in growers’ ranks.”