RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM : Former Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday accused the Andhra Pradesh government of failing to protect the interests of tobacco farmers and demanded immediate measures to ensure remunerative prices for their produce.
Addressing tobacco growers at the Devarapalli Tobacco Auction Platform in East Godavari district, Jagan alleged that farmers were suffering heavy losses due to low auction prices and inadequate procurement.
He claimed that the average auction price of FCV tobacco had declined from about Rs 289 per kg during the 2023-24 season to around Rs 214 per kg this year.
In the Northern Light Soils (NLS) region, he alleged that prices had dropped from Rs 326 per kg to Rs 236 per kg.
He accused the Chandrababu Naidu-led government of failing to safeguard farmers’ interests. Jagan claimed that the Tobacco Board had targeted procurement of 142 million kg of FCV tobacco but had purchased only about 47.3 million kg so far. Against an estimated production of 232 million kg, only around 21 per cent of the crop had been procured, leaving large quantities unsold, he alleged.
He said growers were losing nearly Rs 50 per kg and urged the government to involve MARKFED in procurement to create competition among buyers and improve price realisation.
He also alleged that the Tobacco Board had stopped publishing daily auction data on arrivals and prices.