Tobacco | Pakistan

• Farmers face financial strain amid limited storage, low prices • Firms cut purchases by 23m kg in four years SWABI: Tobacco purchasing companies have slashed their demand for the 2026 crop by 13.183 million kg, marking the fourth consecutive year of reduced requirements. This cutback is expected to result in significant financial losses for local tobacco farmers, sources told Dawn on Saturday. Tobacco experts noted that while multinational and national firms have the capacity to store large quantities of tobacco, growers face major challenges due to limited financial resources and storage options. The inability to store crops like Virginia and White Patta tobacco means any surplus must be sold quickly, leaving growers at the mercy of fluctuating market demand. For 2026, the total demand from tobacco companies is set at 61.627m kg, with 58.184m kg of flue-cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco, 0.360m kg of dark air-cured tobacco, 1.342m kg of White Patta, 1.381m kg of burley, and 0.360m kg of sun-cured tobacco. This ...