Auctioning of tobacco, the principal commercial crop in Prakasam district began on a dull note on two platforms under the Ongole region of the Tobacco Board on Thursday.
Farmers were offered Rs 110 per kg for F1 grade by traders on the opening day of auctions in D.C.Palli and Kaligiri platforms in the Ongole region, Tobacco board sources said. Farmers offered 18 bales in Kaligiri and 41 bales in D.C.Palli as only three players entered the market.
Virginia Tobacco Growers Welfare Association honorary president Ch Ranga Rao, an ex-member of the Tobacco Board, expressed concern over the fall in offer price to Rs 110 per kg on the first day itself as against Rs 121 per kg during the corresponding period last year.
Taking note of the cost of cultivation mounting to Rs 117 per kg, the Tobacco Board should come to the rescue of farmers, association president Chunchu Seshaiah said. The Tobacco Board was flush funds collected through penalties, he said.
