Daily Times

Governors of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh gave Khyber Tobacco Company CEO Samera Irfan the prestigious award for Best Export Performance in a well-attended ceremony.

For nearly 60 years, KTC has worked to ensure that clients get superior-quality tobacco products at a competitive price, says a press release. It says that the company is located in the centre of Pakistan’s tobacco-growing region and is the largest tobacco company. It has won several export awards and medals over the years. KTC is known for exporting threshed strips/re-dried tobacco, cut tobacco blends and manufactured cigarettes to UAE, South and West Africa, Sri Lanka, Jordon and many more countries.

The establishment of KTC coincided with tobacco cultivation in Pakitan in the 1950s. FCV, Rustica (WP), and DAC are the three types of tobacco usually used to produce cigarettes. FCV is mainly produced in KP but Punjab also produces this crop. It is estimated that 85.5 M. KG FCV will be produced this year.

Pakistan provides an ideal environment for cultivating FCV tobacco, and the Punjab region is a suitable ground for DAC growth. The province is responsible for 100 percent of DAC production. KP also produces 80 percent of Rustica and Punjab 20 percent.

KTC, with its fully integrated production facility and years of expertise, has been able to use Pakistan-produced tobacco to manufacture products that meet international standards. KTC is also the third largest cigarette manufacturer of Pakistan and was the first company to implement the Track and Trace system for cigarettes. KTC is listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange and has exported millions of dollars of tobacco in the last financial year. KTC contributed just under PKR 4 billion to the national exchequer in taxes in FY 22/23.