Upset with falling prices after lockdown, tobacco growers from Prakasam district on Wednesday pressed for intervention by the government to create market buoyancy.
Farmer leaders led by former Tobacco Board member Ch.Ranga Rao met YSRCP leader and TTD Chairman Y.V. Subba Reddy at Tadepalli in Guntur district, and urged him to direct a marketing agency to purchase 20 million kg of low and medium grade varieties, which accounted for a majority of the produce that faced rejections from the traders.
With an allocation of ₹200 crore, the varieties of tobacco not sought after by the traders could be purchased to create a healthy market competition, said AP Rythu Sangham leader Vadde Hanuma Reddy.
Crop holiday
Vellampalli Tobacco Farmers’ Welfare Association president A. Seshagiri Rao wanted Mr. Subba Reddy to use his good offices with the Centre to declare a crop holiday during next cropping season as the COVID-induced economic downturn was being used as a pretext to drive down the prices of different grades of tobacco by the domestic players.
The farmers had been rendered captive growers, meeting the needs of cigarette manufacturing firms and exporters, who give an exaggerated indent at the time of fixing the crop size and offer low prices at the time of marketing citing lack of demand from overseas, they said.
Dismantling of barns
They also wanted Mr. Subba Reddy to pursue with Union Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu the demand for ₹10 lakh compensation to dismantle the barns, the primary processing unit of tobacco at the grassroots level, for them to quit tobacco cultivation once for all.
