There is no point in having a Tobacco Board if farmers do not get a remunerative price for their produce even after they cultivate according to the crop plan prepared by the Board, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said at a meeting with officials of the Tobacco Board, representatives of tobacco farmers and companies here on Friday.
Farmers complained to Mr. Naidu that tobacco companies were not purchasing tobacco at the prices and in the quantities they agreed to do so.
The Tobacco Board was acting like a silent spectator, the farmers said. “Tobacco companies not making purchases as per the agreements they reached with the Board and farmers will not be left off lightly,” Mr. Naidu said.
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He said there were 40,000 tobacco farmers who were under the jurisdiction of the Board, but there was hardly any response from the Board to their problems. He said “the Board has to take up the responsibility of solving their problems.” And in depth analysis should be made into reasons for the price of one kg of tobacco falling by Rs. 35 kg, he said.
The Federation of Virginia Tobacco Farmers Associations submitted a memorandum seeking market intervention to increase buoyancy this season. The farmers said they were not getting remunerative price for their crop because just one tobacco company purchased 90 per cent of their produce.