Scores of tobacco farmers owing allegiance to Kondapi Tobacco Growers’ Association from Prakasam district and Virginia Tobacco Growers’ Association from Devarapalli in West Godavari district left for Delhi on Friday to hold a protest against the proposed ban on the sale of loose cigarettes and imposition of hefty fine on smoking in public.
The government’s move to ban the sale of loose cigarettes and increase the fine for smoking in public will severely affect the livelihood of nearly 38 million farmers engaged in tobacco cultivation, according to farmer association leaders A. Gopala Krishna, K. Bhima Raju, N. Subba Rao and P.S. Murali Babu.
Speaking to reporters before their departure, Mr. Gopala Krishna said the government’s singular focus appeared to be on cigarettes, which accounted for just 12 per cent of tobacco consumption. Regulating the sale of cigarettes will only result in consumption shifting to beedis and other smokeless products, he added.
Ban on loose sales will, in fact, encourage illegal sale (revenue loss here is approximately Rs. 6,000 crore every year), which stood at 19 per cent of the overall market for cigarettes. It could also lead to increased consumption of non-cigarette tobacco products, Mr. Gopala Krishna reminded.
Other association leaders pointed out that tobacco was a coarse, disease-resistant crop, and that it was most viable in the regions where it was grown compared to other crops, which could not give the same value as tobacco.
Maintaining that new regulations posed a threat to the livelihood of millions of rural women, tribal people and other weaker sections who were dependent on tobacco cultivation, they said and suggested that the government think twice before proceeding on clamping down on the sale of loose cigarettes.
