A high-level delegation from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Farmers Board met with Chairman Pakistan Tobacco Board, Musaddiq Hussain Tahir Khilji, at the Board\u2019s headquarters today to discuss the severe challenges facing tobacco farmers in the province.<\/p>\n
During the meeting, the delegation highlighted the devastating impact of natural disasters, low purchase prices, and company refusals to buy low-grade crops, which have caused farmers losses of approximately 80 billion rupees this season. They noted that following a 220 billion rupee loss in wheat, tobacco losses are pushing farmers\u2019 households to the brink of economic collapse.<\/p>\n
The farmers stressed that agriculture, the backbone of the country\u2019s economy, is under threat due to high costs of inputs, low crop prices, and ineffective government policies. Many farmers are abandoning agriculture for urban employment, creating new social and economic challenges.<\/p>\n
The delegation also warned that around 50 million kilograms of tobacco remain unsold, with improper storage causing spoilage. They said companies are legally required to purchase all grades of tobacco but have refused to buy low-grade crops.<\/p>\n
The farmers presented a list of nine demands, including increasing quotas for the next season, restoring canceled agreements, ensuring timely payments by companies, compensating losses due to natural disasters, setting a Minimum Indicative Price immediately, providing subsidies on agricultural inputs, and inviting more companies to reduce monopoly practices in the tobacco sector.<\/p>\n
The delegation was led by Rizwanullah Khan, Central Vice President of the Farmers Board, and included provincial and district-level leaders. On the Pakistan Tobacco Board side, Chairman Musaddiq Hussain Tahir Khilji, Secretary Fakhruddin, and Dr. Hafiz Abdul Samad participated in the discussion.<\/p>\n
Chairman Khilji assured the delegation that the Board would review all demands legally and take effective steps to address farmers\u2019 concerns. The delegation thanked the Chairman and expressed hope that timely, farmer-friendly measures would be implemented to prevent further damage to Pakistan\u2019s tobacco industry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A high-level delegation from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Farmers Board met with Chairman Pakistan Tobacco Board, Musaddiq Hussain Tahir Khilji, at the Board\u2019s headquarters today to discuss the severe challenges facing tobacco farmers in the province. During the meeting, the delegation highlighted the devastating impact of natural disasters, low purchase prices, and company refusals to buy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":67759,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,16],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-69519","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-latest","8":"category-pakistan"},"yoast_head":"\n