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23,000 tonnes surplus tobacco likely this fiscal

ISLAMABAD: Over 70,000 tonnes of tobacco production is likely this financial year, Pakistan Tobacco Board sources said on Monday.

The sources said production of 70,000 tonnes of tobacco would yield a surplus of some 23,000 tonnes after meeting the annual domestic requirement of about 47,000 tonnes.

Growers will have to manage export or sale the surplus tobacco on their own as the government had no intention to purchase more than required for domestic use.

A Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB) source said that the government would buy only quality tobacco from the growers. He said the government has assured purchasing of around 47,000 tonnes tobacco.

The sources said that the quality of the tobacco also varied and hinted that the Board believes that the surplus tobacco production would be of inferior quality. He said the growers would not be able to sell the commodity at their own.

About export prospects, the source said that Pakistan tobacco was not up to the international standard. "We can consider exporting it but it has to be of very fine quality," he said. Fortuna