Ongole: Continue Tobacco Board, MPs request Union Minister

Ongole: MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy requested Union minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal to continue Tobacco Board.

The MP office in a statement released here on Wednesday, informed that the MP along with the MPs from tobacco cultivating areas Adala Prabhakar Reddy, Margani Bharat and Lavu Srikrishnadevarayalu met the Union minister at his chamber in New Delhi on Wednesday.

The MP explained to the Union Minister that the farmers from only six districts in the country are cultivating tobacco, and 60 per cent of them are from Prakasam district. He informed that the government established the Tobacco Board on January 1, 1976, after the farmers organised several agitations, who faced a number of ordeals to sell their tobacco crop.

Since then, the Tobacco Board is being instrumental in the estimation of the Demand and Production of tobacco, providing competitive prices, disbursement of payments, providing technical expertise, distribution of fertilizers and pesticides in time to the farmers.

Magunta informed the Union Minister that if the Tobacco Board is removed, farmers would be at the mercy of the companies. He said farmers are anxious about the proposals to close the Board or curtail its powers, reduction of the staff, introduction of contract farming etc. He suggested the Minister to drop any such proposals with the government to close down the Tobacco Board that was formed with the sacrifices of farmers and continue it for the welfare of the farmers.