ISLAMABAD - National Assembly Special Committee on the Agricultural Products on Tuesday recommended that the minimum indicative price of tobacco should be fixed at Rs260 per kg.

The committee, chaired by Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser, instructed the Pakistan Tobacco Board to ensure that no stock of tobacco is left unsold with the farmers and urgent steps should be taken to ensure that cigarette manufacturers purchase 1.4 million kg surplus tobacco as per assigned quota under the PTB Marketing Rules. 

The members of the committee outlined that regulations bind tobacco companies to purchase tobacco as per the assigned quota, however, some of the companies have refused to abide by the law. The committee instructed the Pakistan Tobacco Board to issue show cause notices to such companies and initiate cases against them. 

Speaker National Assembly stressed that exploitation of farmers will not be tolerated. He tasked the sub-committee of the Special Committee on Agricultural Products headed by MNA Shandana Gulzar Khan to examine the tobacco regulatory framework and after necessary consultation with all stakeholders, recommend amendments in the legislative and regulatory framework within 15 days.  

The members of the committee underlined the need to move a resolution in the National Assembly against cigarette manufacturers who despite quota allocation did not purchase tobacco from the farmers. 

The members stressed stringent action against companies who did not ensure purchase of surplus tobacco leading to unsold stock of 1.4 million kg.   

The NA Speaker said that the committee desired transparency and fairness in transaction between the farmers and industry to ensure that the farmers fetch decent profitability for their toil. The committee maintained that tobacco farmers, who grow single crop in an year, cannot be left at the mercy of cigarette companies and urged the government agencies to take all possible steps for the legitimate profit of the farmers and timely sale of their crop. 

The meeting was attended by Syed Fakhar Imam, Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research, Shahram Khan Tarakai, Minister for Education KP, and members of the Special Committee on Agricultural Products.