Tobacco exports increase

Islamabad : Pakistan’s tobacco exports have increased to $2.171 million in the first month of this fiscal year from $0.914 million during the same period in the corresponding year after withdrawal of advance tax on the crop, farmers associations said on Wednesday.

Addressing a press conference here in National Press Club, tobacco farmers and laborers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa thanked Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser for helping them withdraw Rs500 per kilogram advance tax on the crop, which has now resulted in 137.53 percent increase in its exports during the first month of the ongoing fiscal year.

They said that they had informed the Speaker National Assembly about their problems including the advance tax on tobacco leaf that was hurting the farmers and industry. The Speaker had taken up the issue of the advance tax with the Federal Board of Revenue on demand of the growers before the budget. The Speaker helped the farmers get the advance tax of Rs500 per kilogram on the crop abolished to help the farmers, industry and laborers.

The farmers said that they have fulfilled their promise by helping the country increase the tobacco exports while thanking the Speaker Asad Qaiser for timely intervention to get the advance tax withdrawn. They said that Pakistan was producing quality tobacco crop and there was a huge potential for its exports, hoping that the country could earn a sizeable foreign exchange through it with more job opportunities for youth in the sector.

The farmers also urged the multinational tobacco companies to restore all the unemployed workers as they had purchased the produce in large quantity this year. The Speaker is also heading a National Assembly Special Committee on Agricultural Products to formulate viable policies to boost the agriculture sector and boost income of the growers.