ONGOLE: Despite the Union Government, State Chief Minister, Ministers, and the Tobacco Board officials having been trying to resolve the present crisis in the Tobacco marketing process, the Southern region’s tobacco growers are still facing difficulties with a large number of No-bid rejection bales and low prices for their produce in the ongoing Tobacco auctions.
The tobacco auction process on all 11 platforms is running inconsistently, and the Tobacco growers are unhappy with the increasing No bid- rejections of Bales and Low price to their quality product.
On the other hand, the Tobacco Farmer Unions representatives are continuing their protest bike rally program on Saturday, the 3rd consecutive day in Kondapi and Zaragumalli mandal limits.
On Sunday, the 4th day, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha leaders visited Valetivari Palem (VV Palem) Mandal limits villages and called upon the Tobacco growers to attend in large numbers to conduct a National Highway stall on July 29th, demanding that the Union and State Governments allocate Rs 1,000 crore funds for providing a fair price to their tobacco produce in the present season auctions. On Wednesday, the buyers bought a total of 0.63 million kg with an average minimum price of 194 per Kg and the total No bid-rejections registered as 27.80% on that day.
For Saturday, the situation became worse as the exporters purchased only 0.51 million kg of stocks with the lowest Rs 193.28 per Kg average price, and the No bid-rejections registered at 28.50 % of the total brought to the floors. The highest number of No bid-rejections of bales, i.e., 47.09 % registered there! On the other hand, in the SLS region, Kanigiri auction centre registered the highest No bid-rejections with 43.9 % and Ongole-2 auction centre (SBS) registered a significant 40.12% No bid- rejections.
“We are unable to get what is going on in the present season tobacco auctions across all 11 auction platforms of the two southern regions. In spite of high-level discussions with the Central officials, Union Minister with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, no significant change is visible at the auction centres, and still growers are facing troubles with the high quantity of No bid-rejections and low prices,” Samyukta Kisan Morcha leaders Chunduri Ranga Rao and Pamidi Venkata Rao told TNIE.
