RECORDER REPORT

PESHAWAR: Senior Vice President (SVP), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chamber of Agriculture (KPCA),Fazal Elahi Khan has appreciated the Senate’s Standing Committee on Health for adopting a consultative process while deliberating on a private member’s bill on “Prohibition of Tobacco and Protection of Non-Smokers Health Act”.

In a statement Khan said, “it is good that the committee members had called me to committee’s meeting to share legitimate concerns of the tobacco farmers”. He said the particular bill marginalizes the tobacco sector in general and farmers in particular. “The livelihood of more than 75,000 farmers and millions of dependents are endangered by the bill,” he said.

“In KP, which is worst hit by terrorism and militancy, the opportunities to make a respectable living amidst lack of resources are very limited. In this scenario, the legitimate tobacco cultivation is a major source of income for many. Depriving us of our livelihood in the name of so-called legislation is an unjust measure and creates a negative impact on legitimate tobacco trade,” he added.

Khan said the demand for locally grown tobacco will go down, and farmers would be left with no option but to start cultivation of poppy again.

He requested the law makers to reject this bill which is aimed at the destruction of the tobacco industry and instead insisted on enforcing the many existing laws and regulations and supplemented with awareness campaigns to prevent issues such as youth smoking and illegal cigarettes. He requested to let the tobacco farmers breathe and not live in constant fear of losing their livelihoods.