Tobacco growers plan stir from June 2

Tobacco growers in Andhra Pradesh are planning to launch an agitation from June 2, seeking higher price. The agitation would start with hunger strike at auction platforms and tobacco companies in the state.

The growers, who met at the auction platform in Ongole, have expressed concern over the fall in tobacco price and alleged that the Tobacco Board and the Centre were siding with the traders. They also met Tobacco Board chairman G Kamalavardhana Rao in this regard.

The growers said leaving the auction platforms only for traders was the reason for lower prices and wanted the intervention of the state government for involving the State Trading Corporation (STC) in auctions.

“We have asked the board to rope in state and central governments and thus put up competition so as to make the traders increase the price,” said Sivaji, a representative of the tobacco growers.

He said each grower from his tobacco barren would give five bales (each bale contains 135 kg) of tobacco to the board to stock it. There are 150,000 tobacco barrens. “If the board keeps this out of auction, then there would be shortage of the product and this would force the traders to play an active role in auctions. We are not asking the board to pay money to the growers right now. It can pay only after these stocks are sold,” Sivaji said.

Meanwhile, the board chairman said he had requested the traders to pay better price to growers. “Last season, by now, we had sold 61 million kg, while this year, we could sell only 41 million kg. However, the average price offered to the grower is comparatively on the higher side. Last year, it was Rs 102, while this year it’s Rs 113. The only problem is with the black soil from Prakasam district, where the crop was damaged due to rains in December,” he said.