ONGOLE: Tobacco Board of India authorities restarted the auctioning at the Vellampalli Tobacco Auction Centre on Thursday, taking the number of auction centres to four in the district. The other three auction centres are Tangutur-1 & 2, and Kondepi. In the auction that started on April 27, a total of 795 tobacco bales have been sold at the four centres till Thursday.
On the first day, tobacco farmers brought a total of 78 tobacco bales to Vellampalli auction centre and only two of them were rejected and remaining 76 were purchased at an average price of `151. 21 per kg.
Cumulatively, in the four days, farmers brought a total of 940 bales to the auction centres (including Vellampalli) and among them 795 bales were purchased by the buyers and 155 bales rejected. Farmers got an average rate of `155 per kg, with the highest price of `171 per kg and for the lowest of `124 per kg.
Local MLA, TJR Sudhakara Babu, along with Tobacco Board Regional Manager (RM- SBS) G Umamaheswara Rao, Farmers Committee President, Maareddi Subba Reddy and others participated in the Vellampalli Tobacco auction centre inauguration on Thursday and the MLA formally launched the auctions. Speaking on the occasion, Tobacco Board Chairman, Y Raghunatha Babu said the Board had taken a decision to restart the auction procedure from April 27, (Monday) in all Green Zone areas, including Tangutur-1, 2, and Kondepi centres.
“We are planning to restart all Tobacco auction centres across the district after the end of the present spell of lockdown by 3 May 2020,” the Board chairman explained. “We demand the Tobacco Board to provide better price for farmers’ produce. Most of the Tobacco farmers are worrying about the quantity of rejection as on Thursday, the buyers rejected 125 bales at all four auction centres. Also, we demand the authorities to restart all auction centres. If it is delayed further, farmers will face huge losses as their stocks will be ruined due to rising temperatures and quality of tobacco will decrease,” Maareddi Subba Reddy, Rythu Sangham leader appealed.