PESHAWAR, Nov 11: NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah has accepted a proposal to establish an export cell within the purview of the Pakistan Tobacco Board to act as a liaison office between the foreign markets and local tobacco growers.

Presiding over a meeting at the Governor’s House here on Tuesday he said that being one of the major crops of the province tobacco was the sole source of earning for a large number of people and the formation of the export cell would boost the economy of the province.

He stressed that such an institution must be headed by an expert who should be hired for a certain period.

He said the provincial agriculture department should take  necessary initiatives for ensuring proper coordination among farmers.

“The formation of a tobacco cell would prove helpful in maximizing the tobacco export,” he said.

He added that initiatives should be taken to chalk out effective ways and means for exploring new tobacco markets abroad.

It would not only ensure proper consumption of surplus crop but also prove beneficial to local growers, he said.