Some See Tobacco Buyout an End to Crops

Source from:  United Press International  10/08/2004

Some U.S. tobacco farmers say Congress' proposed buyout may force them to give up their crops. A major tobacco company attacked the buyout as a bad deal and another called it an unfair economic burden on the industry, the Louisville Courier-Journal said Thursday. And, anti-smoking groups said they oppose the legislation because it doesn't include regulation of tobacco by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The House is expected to soon take up a conference report giving tobacco growers $10.14 billion over 10 years. That would include $2.2 billion in payments to Kentucky farmers. Quota owners would receive $7 per pound and those who lease would get $3 per pound, based on 2002 quotas. In exchange, growers would not receive Depression-era price supports and could sell leaf for whatever the market bears. Tobacco growing would no longer be limited to areas where it is grown now. The Senate is expected to vote Friday although opponents could try to stall the bill. Enditem