Tobacco farmers want purchasing centre in East Godavari district

Rajamahendravaram: The tobacco farmers have been demanding the government to establish a purchase centre at Thorredu village in East Godavari district.

For many years, they have been facing problems with regard to the sale of tobacco, particularly the charges incurred on transport to West Godavari district. The farmers expressing their anguish that in spite of hard labour and toil, their produce is not fetching any benefit. They also state that owing to the floods, the tobacco crop has been severely damaged. They also worried over the impact of pandemic on tobacco purchase.

The tobacco farmers met MP Margani Bharat Ram at Rachabanda programme on Wednesday and submitted their representation highlighting their problems. The MP responded and immediately spoke to the Tobacco Board Executive Director Addannki Sridhar for the redressal of the problem. He said the farmers have been incurring great loss owing to multiple problems and solution for it lies in the establishment of tobacco purchasing centre at Torredu.

However, the Director replied that nobody is interested in coming to Torredu for the purchase of tobacco and hence it was shifted to Devarapalli in West Godavari.