Tobacco farmers continue to reel under price slump, says YSRCP leader Nagi Reddy
YSRCP general secretary M.V.S. Nagi Reddy on Friday said that tobacco farmers in Andhra Pradesh were facing severe financial distress as auction prices continued to
YSRCP general secretary M.V.S. Nagi Reddy on Friday said that tobacco farmers in Andhra Pradesh were facing severe financial distress as auction prices continued to decline despite assurances from the State government. Addressing the media, Mr. Nagi Reddy said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had recently reviewed the situation with Tobacco Board officials and tobacco-buying companies, and reportedly directed them to prevent “no-bid” auctions and ensure that prices did not fall below ₹200 per kg.
However, he claimed that prices dropped further the very next day, while the number of rejected and unsold bales increased, prompting farmers to stage protests at the auction centres in Ongole. He said the tobacco growers suffered significant losses over the past two rabi seasons. The decline in auction prices had been particularly sharp in the Southern Black Soil regions, where many farmers were struggling to recover cultivation costs.
Rising expenditure on labour, fertilizers, and other farm inputs further worsened the situation, he added. Nagi Reddy also expressed concern about rising rejection rates on auction platforms, noting that farmers incured additional expenses transporting rejected bales. At the same time,
a large quantity of the season’s crop remained unsold due to slow procurement. Demanding immediate intervention, Mr. Nagi Reddy said remunerative prices must be ensured to safeguard the livelihoods of thousands of tobacco-growing families and prevent the crisis from deepening further.
The BriefWire