SWABI: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leaders on Wednesday accused the Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB) of leaving the growers at the mercy of cigarette-manufacturing companies.
Speaking at a gathering, they said that PTB officials had failed to bring new companies to Pakistan due to which they believed two multinational and a few national companies enjoyed monopoly, paving the way for the exploitation of farmers.
Abdul Karim Khan Tordher, former adviser to the chief minister and other PTI leaders said that the board did not send representatives of the growers to tobacco exhibitions in Dubai and various other countries, due to which exporters were not properly briefed about tobacco quality in Pakistan. He believed that the country failed to achieve the tobacco export targets and did not earn the required foreign exchange.
“The PTB is responsible for the entire mess and its members failed to play their due role as they were supporting the purchase policy of the companies,” he said.He said the government had imposed an advance tax of Rs390 per kg on the demand of multinational companies. Its big disadvantage is that if a local company wants to export two billion kg of tobacco, it will need Rs1.5 billion to buy the tobacco and it needs Rs1 billion in advance tax, so from where will they arrange such huge capital?
“The federal government should abolish the advance tax and give local companies an opportunity to do business and it will be beneficial for the federal government, companies and growers,” he said.
He said that the companies purchased tobacco at a low price of Rs175 per kg in the form of surplus tobacco in the current year, which caused billion rupees losses to the farmers and the government and only the companies got benefit.
“The companies have reduced their demand for the upcoming year, paving the way for another critical purchasing season and exploitation,” he said.“Every farmer lost millions of rupees in the current year. The growers are now financially bankrupt and mentally agonized,” he said.
