SWABI, April 6: Parliamentarians, district government representatives and the Anjuman-i-Kashthkaran have demanded of the government to spend Rs68 million tobacco cess on the development of tobacco cultivating areas of the NWFP.

This demand was made here on Sunday at a Rabita Programme of the Abaseen Union of Journalists.

Speaking on the occasion, MMA MNA Muhammad Usman said the government wanted to establish schools for the children of tobacco growers from cess fund, where they would get free education.

To boost their education standard, he said, families of tobacco cultivators would no longer be at the mercy of tobacco companies, and they would be able to earn their livelihood with dignity and honour.

Another MMA parliamentarian Maulana Khalil Ahmed said tobacco firms should stop exploitation of growers by purchasing produce at low prices.

In the forthcoming season, he said, the companies must lift all tobacco produce avoiding the propaganda of surplus tobacco.

Swabi Qaumi Mahaz Chair man and MNA Dr Salim said for the last four years, tobacco growers had faced difficulties, and they could not sell their crops in time and according to the tobacco marketing law (MLO-487).

All the previous governments, he said, failed to allocate tobacco cess for the welfare of the growers.

District Naib Nazim Mohammad Jamil advocate said: “I don’t know where the tobacco cess has gone. The MMA government has a golden opportunity to work for the use of this fund.”

If Punjab, he said, could spend sugar cane cess on the welfare of sugar cane growers, why tobacco growers of the NWFP had been deprived of their rights.

NWFP Anjuman-i-Kashthkaran General Secretary Ismail Jan advocate said that in fiscal 2001-02, the total tobacco cess was Rs73 million while in 2002-03, it stood Rs68,110,000.

Among the tobacco growing areas, he said, Swabi had produced a bulk of both Virginia and white patta tobacco.

He said the district had been producing the best quality of tobacco and if the companies educated the growers, they could improve the produce quality to capture a unique place in the international market.