SWABI: The harvesting of White Patta (WP) tobacco is in full swing across Swabi district, while tobacco companies and traders have begun preparations for the upcoming crop buying season with an aim to purchase 1.255 million kilogrammes crop this year.

The total WP demand of all tobacco companies for the current year is 1.255 million kilogrammes. Both national and multinational companies have already announced their requirements though Pakistan Tobacco Board. According to local tobacco entrepreneurs, the nationwide WP production in the current year is likely to be 29.5 million kilogrammes.

Of it, around 14.5 million kilogramme will be in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 15 million kilogramme in Punjab with the quality of the former’s crop better.

Every year, tobacco companies conduct a survey in tobacco growing areas to know about the expected yield and in light of that survey, they make their crop purchasing strategy.

Companies, traders likely to buy 1.255m kg crop this year

Once they announce their requirements, companies and traders can’t change them and are bound to buy the announced quantity from growers at the rate fixed by PTB for the season, which usually begins late June or early July and lasts until late September.

Insiders said the Pakistan Tobacco Company (PTC) demand for WP tobacco was 0.30 million kilogramme, Khyber Tobacco Company and AO Enterprise 0.2 million kilogramme each, Pakistan Hill Tobacco Company 0.1 million kilogramme, Watton Tobacco Company 0.01 million kilogramme, and Sheraz Corporation and Al-Soomir Trading Corporation 0.15 million kilogramme.

They said Walton Tobacco Company needed 0.015 million kg WP tobacco, Falcon Industries 0.02 million kilogramme, Universal Tobacco Company 0.03 million kilogramme, Leaf Experts Limited 0.015 million kilogramme, Ibrahim Tobacco Company and New Faroogue Tobacco Products 0.025 million kilogramme each and Mehran Tobacco Products 0.015 million kilogramme.

Philip Morris Pakistan, which is the second leading multinational tobacco company after PTC in Pakistan, has yet not announced its WP needs this year. WP has widely used in naswar (snuff). However, its use in cigarette has reduced as it contains more nicotine compared with flue-cured Virginia. Also, it is used in hookah and betel leaf besides being exported.

A number of businessmen buy standing tobacco crop and shift it to godowns and stores only a day after its harvesting for stemming and separation of stems from leaves.

Kisan Board district president Khalid Khan said weather remained cold this year until the first week of June causing diseases to the tobacco crop.

He said the inclement weather greatly reduced yields. District president of Anjuman-i-Kashtkaran Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Alam Sher Gohati said tobacco companies and traders exploited growers by buying the crop at a very low price. He criticised PTB for failing to protect the rights of tobacco growers.

Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2015

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