Gowda Takes up Cause of Tobacco Farmers

Source from:  By Our Special Correspondent  08/06/2004

NEW DELHI, AUG. 4. The Janata Dal (Secular) President, H. D. Deve Gowda, has asked the Centre to take urgent steps to help the tobacco growers of Karnataka and reconstitute the Tobacco Board by giving equal representation to the State. Mr. Gowda, who met the Union Commerce Minister, Kamal Nath, recently said of the 22 members in the Board, including growers, traders and manufacturers, six of them were from Andhra Pradesh and three from Karnataka. "This inequality in the constitution of the Tobacco Board has led to step-motherly treatment of Karnataka Tobacco farmers. This strength of the Board was fixed when Karnataka was producing only 12 million kilograms in 1975-76. Now, the State is producing around 70-75 million kg," he said in a letter to the Minister. Mr. Gowda accused the Board of taking decision "only to protect the interests of tobacco farmers of Andhra Pradesh. Every year, the Board is harassing and exploiting Karnataka farmers and therefore the farmers have committed suicide". Citing an instance, he said, for the current financial year the traders have indented 74 million kg but the Board had not fixed as there had been opposition from Andhra Pradesh. Similarly, he said, while there were only eight auction platforms in Karnataka, there were 27 platforms in Andhra Pradesh. He said the number was fixed when Karnataka was producing 10-15 million kg and demanded that at least 12 more auction platforms be set up in Karnataka. Enditem