KARACHI, Dec 15: The Sindh government has allowed tobacco cultivation in certain areas where climate suits the crop. According to a survey, Thatta, Badin, Kot Diji, Shikarpur, Ghotki, and Rasoolabad have been found suitable for cultivating tobacco used in making cigarettes and cigars.

The agreement to introduce tobacco cultivation in the province was reached at a meeting between Pakistan Tobacco Board Chairman Mr Rasool Baksh and Agriculture Secretary Agha Jan Akhtar in Karachi recently.

An agriculture department spokesman said that the decision had been taken in the interest of growers as tobacco is a cash crop for which companies (buyers) provide buy-back guarantee.

Tobacco crop needs little water and is of short duration which would add to small growers income.

According to PTC chairman, the board’s research teams have arrived in Sindh for testing climate and soil to determine feasibility of tobacco cultivation in selected areas.

He said that the Sindh government had allowed PTB to set up research centres in areas chosen for growing tobacco crop.

He explained that the main advantage of tobacco crop is that its rates per kg are fixed taking into account the cost of production.

Tobacco purchase price this year is Rs141 per kg.

When the PTB chief was asked whether they had obtained clearance from the health authorities, he said that cultivation on a small scale would not cause any health hazards. He maintained that the board was expanding its operations to other provinces, mainly to meet the local needs of users of cigars, mostly foreigners and multinational companies executives who still import cigars and fine quality tobacco from abroad.

The PTB set up in 1968 is a regulatory and research body which arranges buyers, mainly local and foreign companies, to buy crop at the price fixed by the board.