Tobacco crop to be brought under KP govt’s control: NA speaker

SWABI: National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser and Adviser to Chief Minister on Industry Abdul Karim said on Sunday that tobacco crop would be brought under Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government's control.

They were addressing a gathering of tobacco growers in Kunda village here. The gathering was also attended by tobacco growers' representatives and experts. Both said they had started work on the subject two months back at both federal and provincial level to seek the status of the crop for tobacco by Federal Ministry for Commerce and Industry.

They said that it was a longstanding demand of the growers because the buyers had exploited them for years. Asad Qaiser said that about 98 percent of tobacco was cultivated in KP, therefore, the province had the right to control it. They had held several meetings with the quarters concerned and the issue had been discussed with the relevant officials and departments, he said, adding, more meetings would be held at federal and provincial level said.

The speaker said they had held meetings with the officials of Federal Board of Revenue, Commerce Ministry, Pakistan Tobacco Board and other relevant departments. Abdul Karim said they also met tobacco growers and officials of both national and multinational companies before holding meetings at the federal level to seek their opinion. He said new technology would be introduced to reduce the cost of growing tobacco.