ISLAMABAD: Chairman of the Fair Trade in Tobacco (FTT), Muhammad Ameen, has made a heartfelt appeal to the authorities and the Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB) to immediately intervene and safeguard the livelihoods of thousands of tobacco farmers, the majority of whom are smallholders.
Speaking at a press briefing in Islamabad, Ameen called for urgent and fair enforcement of purchase quotas and timely payments, by the local companies, as legally required under the PTB Ordinance of 1968, said a press release.
“Tobacco farmers are being pushed to the brink,” Ameen stated.
“They are being forced to sell their crop at prices Rs. 200 below the legally mandated weighted average, and the payments they are owed are being delayed. This is feared to break the backbone of the tobacco industry, of which the farmers make the most important part.”
Ameen requested the authorities to note that this crisis is unfolding at a time when Pakistan’s tobacco exports have shown remarkable promise. According to data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, tobacco exports surged by 158% in FY 2024–25, rising from $64.4 million to $166.5 million. “This is not the time to neglect the sector’s foundation,” Ameen said. “We should be celebrating our export growth and investing in the supply chain, not letting it collapse due to quota non-compliance and bureaucratic silence.”
He said that continued mishandling of the current crop by the local companies will damage the domestic economy and threaten Pakistan’s credibility as a reliable exporter. “If we allow local crops to be spoiled or go unsold, our international buyers will look elsewhere. We risk losing markets just as we’re beginning to gain ground.”
