The Tobacco Board will hold a special meeting soon to iron out the issue of low prices for different grades of the produce offered by the traders after relaxation of lockdown.
As agitated farmers pressed for the board’s intervention at a meeting here on Saturday, its Chairman Y. Raghunatha Babu advised them to wait till June 10 – the time sought by the exporters for finalisation of firm orders from global players.
He also promised to go to New Delhi to draw the attention of Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal to their demand for announcement of a bonus price, as provided during 2014-15 by the Union and State governments after a spate of suicides by the growers in Prakasam district.
Farmers from different auction platforms in the Southern Light Soil (SLS) and Southern Black Soil(SBS) regions wanted the board to purchase directly from them. “We are ready to wait for a few months to take payment from the board,” they said.
Crop holiday sought
A majority of the farmer leaders pressed for a crop holiday during the next season as they had been rendered “captive growers” to meet the needs of domestic cigarette manufacturers and exporters, who exaggerate the indent at the time of fixing the crop size and drive down the prices at the time of auctions under one pretext or the other year after year.
The farmers demanded a liberal financial package from the Centre, including a three-year moratorium on repayment of loans and waiver of interest.
