Tobacco Board Chief Asks Farmers to Stick to Crop Size

Source from:  The Hindu Businessline 01/09/2012

Guntur, Jan.6: Mr G. Kamalavardhan Rao, the chairman of the Tobacco Board, has urged farmers to adhere strictly to the authorised crop size in view of the glut in international markets and he has expressed inability to reduce the penalty imposed on unauthorised production. He was speaking at the Tobacco Board's Formation Day celebrations here on Friday. He said that in spite of repeated pleas to exercise discipline, farmers had produced 30 to 35 million kg more than the total crop size fixed in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka last year. This was not desirable, as prices were affected, he said. The proposal for giving compensation of Rs 5 lakh to farmers for switching over to alternative crops was being deliberated on by the Ministries of Commerce and Health, he said. The electronic auction systems would be ready by March 31. The National Institute of Smart Governance was on the job, he added. Indian Tobacco Association president, Mr Bellam Kotaiah said that there were several instances of rejection of Indian consignments of tobacco due to the presence of Non-Tobacco-Related Materials (NTRM). If better prices were to be realised, the crop should be properly graded. The emphasis should be on quality instead of quantity. Mr. Mohan Kanda, the former chief secretary of AP who was the chief guest, said an autonomous body should be set up for development of agriculture sector on the lines of the Tobacco Board, which was doing a commendable job as a bridge between the manufacturers, traders and farmers. He said that the 'crop holiday' declared by farmers in East Godavari district brought to the fore the glaring lapses in agricultural policies and their implementation. Enditem