Farzana Rubab

Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB) plans to stablish sun barns for curing of the tobacco leaves to help lessen environmental damage caused by burning of tonnes of wood for the purpose. It is to mention here that Pakistan’s tobacco industry generated over Rs124 billion in Federal Excise Duty and Sales Tax in the financial year 2019-20, making it one of the major contributors to the government's finances, and showing its potential to aid the national economy.

Hidayatullah, an assistant development officer at PTB, told WealthPK that to achieve environmental standards the industry’s regulator had implemented a “double flue pipes system” for the curing process of tobacco leaves. He pointed out that it took about five to six days to cure 600-700 kilogrammes of tobacco, and the process consumed about 20 to 24 maunds of dry wood. “A lot of wood is used to heat these barns, which adds to environmental pollution. PTB in collaboration with tobacco purchasing companies like Pakistan Tobacco Company and Philip Morris Pakistan are working to improve the curing process by reducing the use of wood through establishment of sun barns,” he informed WealthPK.

Hidayatullah said the introduction of sun barns will also help reduce the cost of production and improve environmental impact of the tobacco industry.

He said that an action plan – Integrated Pest Management Programme – is being implemented for value addition in this sector to control insect-pests and diseases. Training of technical staff, especially on atomic absorption spectrophotometer, gas chromatograph and tissue culture and conversion of conventional barns into solar barns, is also being conducted, he added.

The official said that the PTB in collaboration with companies was also conducting research to improve the tobacco varieties and the yield. He maintained that the research and development team of the PTB was working on improving on the available varieties, grade index and yield. “The team conducts studies to ensure the use of modern farming techniques to improve yields, besides maintaining a proper fertiliser and pesticide mix.

“If farmers have easy access to the best seeds, fertiliser and pesticides, they can enhance their per acre yield,” he said, adding that, “The farming methods should be modified from time-to-time to cope with the impact of insect pests, diseases and droughts.”

In Pakistan, tobacco is a significant cash crop that boosts the country's economy through its numerous uses.

According to a PTB report, there are 50,000 farmers growing the crop in the country with half of them from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

There are different types of tobacco like Flue Cured Virginia (FCV), Dark Air Cured Virginia Tobacco (DAC), Sun Cured Rustica Tobacco (White Patta), Light Air-Cured Tobacco (Burley), Light Sun-Cured Virgina Tobacco (Huqqa), and Dark Sun Cured Rustica Tobacco (Black Leaf).

During the financial year 2021-22, 22,390,370 kilogrammes of tobacco was exported by various companies, dealers and agents, bringing over $773 million foreign exchange to the country.

Despite being farmed on only around 0.23% of Pakistan's irrigated land, tobacco contributes significantly to the country's economy by providing jobs to thousands of people involved in growing, distributing and selling the product.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk