SWABI: The leaders of newly established union of the tobacco growers said here on Tuesday that they would reorganise farmers across the country to confront jointly the emerging challenges and resolve their issues.

Tobacco Growers Association Pakistan (TGAP) was set up a day ago when representatives of tobacco growers met in Peshawar. It is the first union of tobacco growers that would work across the country for the rights farmers, having representation of all provinces.

The TGAP leaders told journalists that different unions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa claimed that they were working for the rights of tobacco growers but there was no specific union for the purpose that`s why theysetupthenew body.

They said that tobacco growers of the country did not have representation in International Tobacco Growers Association (ITGA). The reason was that they didn`t have a proper union to represent them at international level, they added.

They said that it would be difficult for tobacco growers to survive without collective efforts as their source of livelihoodfaced threat.

Liaquat Yousafzai, central chairman of AGAP, said that it was a big problem for the growers that companies didn`t buy tobacco from them at a reasonable price.

`The growers need a lot of resources to cultivate tobacco. Financial problems have forced a number of farmers to start growing other crops. It has also caused great loss to them because they don`t know the techniques of growing other crops, said Mr Yousafzai.

Noor Mohammad, general secretary of AGAP, said that growers had little knowledge about use of pesticides and modern techniques of farming. `They require training and need to work in coordination with Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB),` he added.

Sardar Jehan, provincial chairman of AGAP, said that PTB and agriculture department should work to produce new varieties of the crop. He said that growers needed to work jointly regarding antitobacco laws as it was a serious issue.

PRAYERS: The farmers belonging to different areas of the district offered specialprayersfor rain here on Tuesday.

The prayers were offered in Saleem Khan village and various other areas. The farmers appealed to the people of all walks of life to participate in the special prayers.

They said that in past whenever the rainfall delayed for a long time, they would offer special prayers and it would rain. They said that they offered the special prayers to seek rain from Almighty Allah as it was wheat sowing season.