Growers face hurdles selling their tobacco

Tobacco growers who failed to sign agreements with companies of their choice before cultivating the crop are now facing severe difficulties in selling their produce, officials from multinational and local firms, as well as concerned farmers, told Dawn on Thursday. As the curing and procurement process gains pace across the district, farmers are working round the clock but struggling to secure buyers for their produce. Similar reports have emerged from other tobacco-growing regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Arif Ali Khan, central president of Ittehad Kashtkaran Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (IKKP), described the situation as extremely complicated. He said selling flue-cured Virginia (FCV) — the main variety used in cigarette production — has become a herculean task for farmers without contracts.