Andhra dilemma over crop size

The Tobacco Board of India is likely to find itself in a dilemma on August 17 when it is scheduled to meet to fix the flue-cured crop size for Andhra Pradesh for the 2016-17 season.

According to a New India Express story relayed by the TMA, some farmers believe that the board should increase the authorized crop size for the state from the 120 million kg fixed for the 2015-16 season.

Others have urged the board to reduce the crop size further if it cannot ensure remunerative prices.

Meanwhile, the farmers’ representative Baddi Reddy, a former board member, said the board should not penalize farmers for exceeding the crop size when they were not able to ensure that leaf buyers and exporters paid attractive prices.