Mardan ( WNAM REPORT ): Thousands of tobacco farmers across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab are facing economic devastation as the Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB), the federal body legally mandated to protect their rights, continues to ignore blatant violations of its own rules. Under the PTB Ordinance of 1968, the local tobacco companies are bound to purchase tobacco against the quotas allocated to them each year and to make payments within 30 days. Yet in reality, farmers are being forced to sell their crops at prices well below the official weighted average, with payments delayed for months.
From the tobacco-rich districts of Mardan and Buner, reports reveal a deepening crisis. “We are being pushed to sell our crop at Rs. 200 less per kilogram than the official rate,” said Shahid Khan, a farmer from Takht Bhai, Mardan. “Payments that should be made in one month are dragging on for up to six months. Families are falling into debt while the authorities remain silent.”
In Buner, the situation is even worse. The district was recently hit by destructive flooding that washed away standing crops and damaged homes. Farmers there are not only grappling with natural disaster but also with the indifference of the very institutions meant to safeguard them. Local farmer Ghulam Nabi of Pir Baba explained that despite having his quota formally acknowledged, no company has stepped forward to lift his crop. “It lies with me and I am waiting,” he said. “The longer it stays unsold, the greater the loss. The flooding took one harvest, now PTB’s negligence is destroying what is left.”
The neglect extends beyond Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In Punjab, farmers in Sargodha and Okara report the same pattern of delayed purchases and withheld payments. “Middlemen and small companies disappear when it comes time to pay,” said Mohammad Akhtar, a farmer from Okara. “We do not have the financial muscle to fight them in court, and PTB simply looks the other way.”
This crisis is unfolding at a time when tobacco exports from Pakistan are rising sharply. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, tobacco exports in FY 2024-25 surged by 158 percent, from USD 64.4 million to USD 166.5 million. While this should be good news for Pakistan’s struggling economy, experts warn that the treatment of farmers undermines both current and future prospects.
Economist Asad Iftikhar, who has been monitoring the sector closely, told this reporter: “The issue is not only about the economic deprivation of farming communities, though that is severe enough. The deeper problem is that such delays and non-purchases convey a damaging impression of weak governance and institutional failure. International buyers are watching. If Pakistan cannot ensure transparent and timely purchases, its fragile credibility as a reliable exporter is at risk.”
Despite these warnings, the PTB remains unmoved. It has failed to enforce quota compliance, allowing local companies to disregard their obligations openly. Nor has it announced the surplus quantities, a step that could ease farmer suffering by enabling sales beyond quota allocations. This silence, many argue, amounts to complicity.
The PTB operates under the Ministry of National Food Security & Research. Yet the honorable Minister and the Federal Secretary have so far failed to intervene. For farmers in Buner, already battered by climate disaster, the absence of official response is a double blow. Community leaders warn that if this neglect continues, thousands of small farmers could go bankrupt, triggering an exodus from agriculture and destabilizing entire districts.
“The government talks about supporting exports, but they are crushing the very farmers who make exports possible,” said Khalid Hussain, a grower from Mardan. “Our children’s school fees are overdue, our debts are piling up, and nobody is listening. What will exports matter if the crop rots in warehouses?”
Farmers’ associations across KP and Punjab are now demanding urgent action. They insist that PTB must immediately enforce its own laws, compel companies to lift the allocated quotas, and ensure that payments are made within the statutory 30 days. They also call for the surplus to be announced without delay to prevent further losses.
Without such measures, analysts warn, the sector’s future is bleak. Not only will Pakistan’s farmers face ruin, but the country also risks undermining its hard-won export momentum. “You cannot build a sustainable export sector on the exploitation of farmers,” Asad Iftikhar emphasized. “The government must act, or the credibility gap will grow wider.”
For the farmers themselves, the issue is one of survival.
In Buner, where flood-damaged families are clinging to whatever livelihood remains, farmer Abdul Wahid summed up the mood with a plea: “We are not asking for charity. We only ask for what is our legal right. But if PTB and the government cannot protect us, then what hope is left? These failures are not only killing our income; they are killing our confidence in the future.”
