Andhra Pradesh: Farmers urge Centre to regulate Virginia tobacco scrap

Sale of these products should be allowed only on auction platforms, they say

Farmers in the traditional tobacco growing areas in Prakasam and SPSR Nellore districts on Friday urged the Centre to prohibit trade of ‘Padu gulla’, top-leaf, bits and scrap of Virginia tobacco outside the auction platforms under the control of the Tobacco Board.

Farmers, who met under the leadership of Tobacco Board member Mareddy Subrahmanyeswara Reddy here, demanded introduction of new provisions in the existing Sections 13 and 13-A of Tobacco Board Act to prohibit the sales and purchases of padu gulla, top-leaf, bits and scrap of Virginia Tobacco by the growers as also traders.

At present, there are no regulations on these products that have a sizeable volume of about 10 to 15 million kg. These products were being sold by persons other than the registered tobacco growers. As a result, the growers incurred losses due to reduction in demand for their produce being sold in the authorised auction platforms. Due to unregulated sales, the Centre also lost revenue. Further, these unregulated transactions went into the making of illicit cigarettes, they explained.

These products should be allowed to be sold only at the auction platforms after levying normal service charges without adding this quantity to the authorised quantity of crop decided by the crop regulator. The fee on sale of these products would be an additional income to the Tobacco Board, the farmers pointed out.

They urged Ongole MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy to take up the issue with the Centre which had come up with the draft Tobacco Board (Amendment) Bill, 2022 as suggested by the Tobacco Board to promote ease of doing business in the Tobacco sector and invited suggestions from the farmers and other stakeholders.