Ongole: Penalty for excess production of tobacco waived off

Ongole: Tobacco Board member Mareddy Subbareddy and Ongole MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy in individual statements on Tuesday informed that the Government of India waived off the penalty for the excess production of tobacco by the registered growers for this season.

The Ongole MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy led a delegation of tobacco board members and farmers to the Union Minister of Commerce Piyush Goyal recently and explained to him the ordeals of the tobacco farmers in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

The MP informed the minister that Cyclone Mandous has severely damaged the tobacco crop this season, and the farmers were left with no option but to replant the crop. He explained that the replantation has incurred heavy expenditure to the farmers, and asked the minister to allow them to sell the excess crop, if any, without any penalty.

Considering the facts that a total of 4,29,15 farmers in Andhra Pradesh are permitted to produce 162.49 million kilos of Flue Cured Virginia tobacco this season, and about 111.50 million kilos are sold already at an average price of Rs 204.56 per kilo in the ongoing e-auction, the union government has decided to waive off the penalty to the farmers, who produced excess tobacco than was permitted.

MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, tobacco board member Mareddy Subbareddy, and others felicitated Union Minister Piyush Goyal in gratitude for his efforts in waiving the penalty, in his office in New Delhi on Tuesday.

They also thanked the Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Agri Mission vice-chairman MVS Nagireddy, MP Adala Prabhakar Reddy, GVL Narasimha Rao, Kota Sridhar, Margani Bharat, V Vijaya Sai Reddy, and others for their support and cooperation.