Tobacco auctions to begin tomorrow

Guntur: Tobacco Board Chairman Manoj Kumar Dwivedi on Tuesday  reviewed the arrangements being made for holding tobacco auctions here from Thursday across the State and sought the cooperation of traders to get a better price to the farmers. Later, he also held a review meeting with the officials. 

While, the Tobacco Board was permitted to produce 13.22 lakh kg of tobacco, the farmers produced 12 lakh kg of tobacco during the last season. 
In Karnataka, the farmers got Rs.162 per kg and the same price was expected also in the State during this season.  

Addressing the officials, Manoj Dwivedi said, "At present, India is exporting tobacco to 102 countries. We are trying to export our tobacco to Iran too. Recently, we went to Iran and conducted the Indian Tobacco Expo to promote tobacco exports.

We are trying our best to get a better price to the tobacco farmers." Later, representatives of the Indian Tobacco Association (ITA) met Major Kumar Dwivedi and requested him to exempt tobacco from the GST.