Tobacco auctions to start today in Ongole

Tobacco auctions to start today in Ongole March 12, 2012 Ongole Tobacco auctions are going to start all over Prakasam district from March 12 to purchase tobacco from farmers. Tobacco farmers are incurring huge losses due to a poor price for their produce for the past two years and while they hope for a remunerative price at least this year. It seems impossible as the Tobacco Board has not, till now, initiated such action. Tobacco auctions are going to start all over Prakasam district from March 12 to purchase tobacco from farmers. Tobacco farmers are incurring huge losses due to a poor price for their produce for the past two years and while they hope for a remunerative price at least this year. It seems impossible as the Tobacco Board has not, till now, initiated such action. Majority of tobacco production in our state is cultivated in Prakasam district due to its soil conditions which helps to grow fine gr-ade tobacco. The sandy and black sticky soils of Kandu-kur, Podili, PC Palli, Adda-nki, Maddipadu, Santanu-talapadu, Nagulappadu, Korisapadu, Ongole, Tang-utur, Zarugumalli, Singara-yakonda, Kanigiri and other areas were famous for tobacco cultivation but these farmers are now planning to switch to other crops due to poor price. According to reports, as many as 50,000 farmers we-re engaged in tobacco farming in one lakh hectares of the district but they failed to get good quality yield in this season due to the prevailing dry conditions. Tobacco farmers claim that they spent Rs.140 per kg to cultivate tobacco, but last year, got only Rs.120 per kg. There are allegations that tobacco companies form a syndicate and offer a very poor price. Last year, tobacco farmers staged relay fasts and boycotted tobacco auctions seeking remunerative price and purchase of tobacco by government itself. Various farmers unions, former chi-ef minister N. Chandraba-bu Naidu, BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu and others visited tobacco fields last year, demanded remunerative price but to no avail. The treasurer of Virginia Tobacco Growers Associa-tion Chunchu Seshaiah said that Justice B.S.A. Swamy of AP High Court in a judgment ordered the government to give required powers to Tobacco Board to launch criminal prosecution of erring trading agencies which are cheating farmers with poor prices. The farmers’ unions are planning to start agitations if the board fails to provide remunerative price.