Farmers stage protest in Ongole, seek funds for tobacco procurement

Several farmers, under the aegis of Andhra Pradesh Farmers’ Association, staged a protest demanding the immediate procurement of tobacco in the State with the involvement of administration agencies, in front of Prakasam Bhavan in Ongole on Monday

Addressing the media, association’s Prakasam district president Vadde Hanuma Reddy said, “This protest was organised to demand that the administration resolve various issues being faced by farmers and tenant farmers. He said that Bengal gram (chickpea) produced by farmers in the district has been lying in cold storage for the past two years due to lack of a remunerative rate. According to He further, tobacco costs had plummeted this year, and the farmers were facing losses of up to ₹7 lakh per barn.

“The farmers and farmers’ associations have repeatedly highlighted the severity of the issue to the administration. The Central and State governments. It generate ₹80,000 crore in revenue, must allocate ₹1,000 crore for tobacco procurement,” Mr. Hanuman Reddy added.

He expressed concern that the administration’s relief package of an additional ₹10 per kilogram of tobacco and an interest-free working capital loans of ₹50,000 for two years would provide no real benefit to the farmers.

The farmers’ body demanded the immediate allocation of ₹1,000 crore for tobacco procurement through Central and State administration agencies. It also called on funds to be allocated to the Gundlakamma project to complete pending works and supply irrigation water through the canals.