YSRCP has urged the Andhra Pradesh Government to procure tobacco through Markfed, alleging farmers are suffering due to falling prices despite repeated review meetings.
Tadepalli: The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) on Friday demanded that the Andhra Pradesh Government procure tobacco through Markfed, alleging that farmers were facing mounting losses as auction prices continued to decline despite repeated government review meetings.
Addressing the media at the party's central office in Tadepalli, YSRCP General Secretary MVS Nagi Reddy said the coalition government must move beyond review meetings and take practical measures to protect tobacco growers.
He claimed that the average tobacco price had fallen from Rs.231 per kg to Rs.194 per kg despite two review meetings chaired by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. According to him, the government's announcement that prices should not fall below Rs.200 per kg would be effective only if it directly intervened in the market.
Nagi Reddy urged the government to allocate Rs.500 crore in coordination with the Tobacco Board and procure tobacco through Markfed to ensure farmers receive the announced Minimum Support Price (MSP). He argued that the entry of Markfed into procurement would create competition and prevent traders from exploiting farmers.
The YSRCP leader said the previous YSRCP government had introduced Markfed procurement whenever prices declined below the MSP, thereby protecting farmers from distress sales. He alleged that the present government was limiting itself to meetings with officials, traders and tobacco companies without taking concrete procurement measures.
He also claimed that cultivation costs had increased by around Rs.20 per kg this year, further burdening farmers. Referring to the Chief Minister's earlier remarks about a possible crop holiday if prices fell below Rs.200 per kg, Nagi Reddy said the government should take immediate action to prevent losses, as several tobacco loads were reportedly returning unsold from market yards.
Commenting on the distribution of Pattadar Passbooks, Nagi Reddy said the scientific land survey using satellite technology had been initiated during the YSRCP government under Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. He alleged that the present government had merely changed the cover design while claiming credit for the programme.
