Swabi – Central and provincial leaders of the Kisan Board (KB), the farmers' wing of Jamaat-i-Islami, at a convention on Monday unanimously demanded an urgent development of an effective mechanism for the purchase of over 100 million kilograms of expected surplus tobacco from growers during the upcoming buying season this year, according to a press release.
The convention, attended by central and provincial leaders, discussed tobacco crops, possible remedial measures by the Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB), policies of multinational and national companies, and responsibilities of the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments to prevent any breakdown of law and order during the purchasing season.
Leading tobacco growers, their representatives, and KB members from peripheral districts also participated. Rizwanullah, central vice-president of KB, emphasized the need for both federal and provincial governments to formulate a result-oriented strategy for purchasing surplus tobacco from growers during the buying season.
He stated that farmers should not be left at the mercy of entrepreneurs and companies that usually purchase crops at low prices, while some businessmen fail to pay growers on time, causing heavy financial losses. “They purchase crops from cultivators at rock-bottom prices and then delay payments for years,” he said.
Rizwanullah added that the upcoming purchasing season, from June to September, was expected to be very difficult because agreements with thousands of growers had been terminated by companies. According to estimates, the surplus tobacco crop this year is expected to be worth Rs47 billion.
Abdul Samad Safi, provincial general secretary of KB, demanded the withdrawal of the Rs390 advance tax on tobacco, stating that it adversely affects export prospects and foreign exchange earnings. He said the tax also undermines the possibility of purchasing the entire crop directly from growers during the buying season.
Saeedullah, a member of Malgary Wakilan, said that growers had been deprived of their rights under a well-planned strategy and exploited simultaneously. He called for a united struggle for growers' rights. “The tobacco marketing law is being flagrantly violated by multinational and national companies, while the PTB has failed to play its due role,” he said.
Through a unanimously adopted resolution, the convention demanded that more than 6,000 agreements of growers terminated by different companies should be restored, enabling poor farmers to sell their crop on time and avoid complications during the upcoming buying season.
Another resolution declared that if small cigarette manufacturers and businessmen were not allowed to purchase tobacco from growers during the buying season, then the two multinational companies — Pakistan Tobacco Company (PTC) and Philip Morris International Pakistan — would also not be allowed to purchase crops from farmers.
At the end of the convention, participants announced that if the companies failed to change their policies, they would march on Islamabad.
