NWFP growers threaten to stop tobacco cultivation: flood compensation demanded

The tobacco growers of the five tobacco growing districts of NWFP on Monday threatened to divert to the cultivation of other crops in case the government failed in compensation to them due to heavy rains, flash floods and hailstorms.
"In case of the diversion of growers to other crops, the national exchequer would loss a handsome amount of Rs 40 billion," Murad Ali, president, Kissan Board NWFP told newsmen in front of Peshawar Press Club (PPC) on Monday.
The tobacco growers staging protest demo against the lukewarm attitude of federal government towards problems confronting them in the five tobacco growing districts of the province.
The Chairman, Kissan Board, Abdul Akbar Khan and president, Murad Ali was leading the rally of protesting growers. They were also carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans in favour of their demands.
Speaking on the occasion, Murad Ali, president, Kissan Board said that tobacco is cash crop, earning a handsome amount for the country. He said the federal government annually collects Rs 32 billion only in head of central excise duty while the provincial government also earned millions of rupees from the crop. But unfortunately, both federal and provincial governments are giving no attention toward uplift of the lives of the tobacco growers.
He recalled that in 2003, the tobacco growing districts received heavy hailstorm, which severely damaged the crop and later due to the efforts of the Kissan Board, provincial government conducted a survey of the calamity-hit areas and estimated a loss of Rs 760 million to the growers.
According to provincial government, Murad Ali said the report was sent to federal government along with an appeal for the assistance of the affected farmers of the province. But, federal government miserably failed to take any step in this regard and the matter was still lying in the cold storage. Similarly, he alleged that last year tobacco companies exploited the growers and despite strong protests they were paid less price than the market rate.
The matter was prompted by Mohammad Usman Khan, a local parliamentarian to raise the matter on the floor of the concerned standing committee of the National Assembly. The committee held three meetings along with growers' organisations and representatives of tobacco companies. The exploitation of growers by the tobacco companies was proved in the said meetings. But, despite the recommendations of the committee to both federal government and tobacco companies, the growers were not compensated.
He said this year also the growers were again confronting the same situation as tobacco companies had started purchase in some areas, but the price is not up to the production cost. Moreover, 30 to 40 percent crop had also been damaged due to heavy rains and hailstorm in the tobacco growing districts.
The tobacco production, he said this year is very less as compare to the demand, but still tobacco companies are reluctant in making sufficient increase in the rate. In such a situation, if the govt failed to bring positive change in the behaviour of the tobacco companies and the rate were not fixed in proportion to the cost of production in the first phase, the growers would stage peaceful protest in Peshawar and then in federal capital Islamabad.
"Tobacco crop is an important crop of the province and we would foil any attempts against its abolition," the President Kissan Board vowed. Their demands, he said were including compensation of Rs 760 million by the federal government to the affected growers and implementation of the recommendations of the NA standing committee to compensate the affectees of the last year. "We also demands financial assistance for the growers, whose crops have been destroyed by the heavy rains, floods and hailstorm this year too," he concluded.