GUNTUR: BAPATLA District Collector J Venkata Murali on Wednesday directed officials to resume procurement of Black Burley tobacco in Bapatla district starting Thursday, following concerns over falling prices and growing distress among farmers.
The decision was taken at a review meeting with Agriculture and MARKFED officials at the ETC Conference Hall in the Collectorate. Acting on Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu’s instructions, the State government has introduced a dedicated ‘CM App’ to streamline procurement. Only farmers registered through this app—linked with e-Crop and APAMS data—will be eligible for tobacco sales.
The government has sanctioned Rs 300 crore to procure up to 25 million kilograms of Black Burley tobacco through MARKFED. Procurement centres will operate at two locations in Parchur and one in Chirala.
The fixed procurement price is Rs 12,000 per quintal for HDR and HDM varieties and Rs 3,000 per quintal for HDX.
A control room with a toll-free helpline (8331057095) will function in Parchur from 6 AM to 8 PM to address farmer grievances and ensure smooth operations. The Collector criticised Agriculture Department officials over irregularities in crop registration. Although Black Burley tobacco was cultivated in 67,132 acres, only 50,513 acres were recorded in the e-Crop system, covering 28,019 farmers.
He instructed officials to upload complete data within a week and warned of strict action for lapses during the current Kharif season.
Parchur MLA Eluri Sambasiva Rao highlighted that, for the first time, the government is directly procuring tobacco to support farmers. Bapatla MLA Vegesna Narendra Varma reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring fair prices and safeguarding farmer interests.
MARKFED Managing Director Manajeer Zilani Saman and other senior officials participated in the meeting and later visited the Parchur market yard to review arrangements.