Tobacco Prices Keep Rising in India

Source from:  Tobacco Reporter 05/20/2009

Flue-cured farmer prices in India have continued to rise and, on Monday, went above Rs160 per kg in the Northern Light Soil (NLS) area of Andhra Pradesh, according to a report in the Hindu Business Line. Quoting Tobacco Board regional manager, V. Manmadha Rao, the report said that the highest price on Monday, Rs162.60 per kg, had been recorded on the Gopalapuram auction floor of the West Godavari district, while Rs162.40 per kg had been paid on the Koyyalagudem and Jangareddigudem floors. In West Godavari, the average price to date increased to Rs113.10 per kg, which is more than the average paid during the Karnataka auctions, Rs109.80 per kg. The highest price paid in Karnataka was Rs159.40 per kg. So far, 86 million kg have been sold on Andhra's auction floors at an average price of Rs97.77 a kg. The Tobacco Board authorized a crop size of 170 million kg in Andhra, but the report said the actual production might be about 200 million kg. Enditem