Growers resent closure of tobacco purchase depots

MARDAN: The Anjuman-e-Kashtakaran Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday said that tobacco companies had closed their purchase depots from Mardan, which had created a host of problems for the tobacco growers. The office-bearers of the association were speaking at a meeting here.

Niamat Shah Roghani, Qamar Zaman Khan Advocate, Farman Ali Khan, Ejaz Khan, Zahir Muhammad, Alam Sher Khan, Akhtar Ali Khan, Syed Abdal Bacha, Zulfiqar Ali, Sher Bahadur and others attended the meeting.

They said that Pakistan Tobacco Company and Philip Morris Tobacco Company had closed their purchase depots located at Sharifabad and Firdousabad and shifted to other areas. The meeting participants demanded the tobacco companies to withdraw the decision.

They believed that the tobacco purchasing companies were pursuing anti-farmer policies. They demanded that Philip Morris Tobacco Company should also restore their purchase depot. They added that these multinational companies should provide relief to the farmers and avoid creating problems for them.

The meeting demanded the federal Minister for Trade and Industry and the Chairman of the Pakistan Tobacco Board to find a solution to this problem. They said the tobacco growers would be compelled to stage a protest if their demand was not met.