SWABI, Dec 5: The farmers here on Wednesday set up a protest camp against Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB) and tobacco companies for not increasing the price of Virginia and White Patta tobacco.

The leaders of the protesting farmers said that production of tobacco had become expensive and price policy of the companies pushed them towards financial bankruptcy.

Briefing journalists about their protest plan, Kashtkar Coordination Council (KCC) general secretary Liaquat Yousafzai said that they would stage a demonstration at Karnal Sher Khan Chowk on Thursday. More protests would be held in other areas, he said.

Mr Yousafzai said that they would continue their struggle till acceptance of their demands. He said that crop commissioner Dr Mohammad Aslam in his report last year proposed the price of tobacco Rs183 per kilogram but the companies with the backing of commerce ministry maintained it at Rs121 per kilogram.

It provided an opportunity to the traders to purchase tobacco from farmers at a low price, he said. He added that they had planned protests to pressurise the companies before the cultivation of the crop.

“We have been running a campaign for convincing the farmers in all tobacco growing districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that they should not cultivate the crop while on the other hand the companies have kicked off a movement to lure growers to cultivate tobacco,” the KCC leader said.

He said that they wanted the price of tobacco to be fixed at Rs250 per kilogram. However, the companies might fix it at Rs145 per kilogram, he added. At present consultation among the representatives of companies and PTB was underway and it might be finalised soon, he said.

Mr Yousafzai said that they expected that PTB would finalise price of the crop within two days. The price formula was discussed in PTB office by the officers concerned and companies on Wednesday, he said.

Meanwhile, it has been learnt that the cost of production committee, constituted by PTB, has submitted its report to the board and the price of the crop is expected to be increased in the light of the report.

Sources said that the committee recommended minimum cost of production in district Mansehra Rs142 per kilogram, Buner Rs128 per kilogram and in Swabi Rs125 per kilogram.

The KCC leader said that except the secretary of the board all other members of the committee were old faces, who would toe the line of tobacco companies.