Interests of tobacco farmers will be protected: Union Minister Suresh Prabhu

Vijayawada: Union Minister for Commerce and Industry and Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu said that the interests of the tobacco farmers are the foremost and the Board will do all that is possible for the wellbeing of farmers. 

He interacted with the tobacco growers, trade members and tobacco officials at the Tobacco Board stakeholders’ meeting held at a hotel here on Tuesday.  

He said that he would like the Board to come up with a comprehensive policy with the inputs from all its stakeholders and the CTRI, so as to make a road map for tobacco sector by the end of the January, 2019. 

Earlier, K Sunitha, Executive Director and chairman of the Tobacco Board, highlighted the issues that are troubling the tobacco industry like declining demand for tobacco and increased competition from countries like China, Brazil and Zimbabwe; reduced farmer profits, increasing cost of production and global fluctuations in price.

From the growers side G Satyanarayana, Vice-Chairman, Tobacco Board, P. Badri Reddy, former member of the Board, spoke about the grower problems.

Former MP Y Sivaji requested the Minister to come up with a comprehensive policy on tobacco and a road map for reducing the cultivation without affecting the interests of the farmers. From traders’ side, G. Krishna Kumar, Vice-President, Leaf Operations, ITC, presented exporters problems.

MP Gokaraju Ganga Raju, Board member, G Satyanarayana, Vice-Chairman, Tobacco Board, former MP Kavuri Sambasiva Rao, Board Members B. Seethaiah, Basavarajappa, Kiran Kumar and Secretary of Tobacco Board Addanki Sridhar Babu participated in this meeting.