FAIFA asks govt for correction in tobacco-related policies

Farmers body FAIFA today sought government's intervention for an immediate correction in policies as tobacco farmers are under stress due to jump in smuggling of cigarettes.
Despite tobacco being immune from climatic variations, a numbers of farmers have committed suicides in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, Federation of All India Farmer Associations (FAIFA) said in a statement.
Instead of providing solutions, government has issued orders to tobacco farmers in Andhra Pradesh to cut cultivation by 52 million kgs next year, it added.
FAIFA alleged that the smuggling of cigarettes has jumped in last two years, which is directly impacting farmers.
"Explosive growth of illicit and smuggled tobacco at 31 per cent annually directly taking away farmer livelihoods in India," FAIFA said.

The farmers body claimed that as per government data till July this year, more than 5 crore foreign branded cigarettes, smuggled to the country, were seized by the government.
"A sudden call for cutting production is going to be difficult to absorb for farmers already under debt, as consumption for tobacco has already been going down over the years," it added.