Hundreds of Farmers Block NH-16 in Andhra Protesting Low Tobacco Prices

Hundreds of tobacco farmers blocked National Highway 16 at the Tangutur toll plaza near Throvagunta in Ongole, Andhra Pradesh, on Wednesday, demanding remunerative prices for their crop. The protest caused long traffic jams along the highway.

Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) Prakasam district committee convener Chunduri Ranga Rao told reporters that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had not responded adequately despite repeated protests by tobacco farmers over the past three months. He noted that the Chief Minister recently announced a procurement price of ₹110 per kg for low-grade tobacco, while the average market price stands at ₹1,877 per kg.

Ranga Rao demanded an explanation for the steep reduction in the low-grade tobacco price and accused Mr. Naidu of prioritizing corporate interests over farmers. He pointed out that despite a government order mandating a minimum average purchase price of ₹200 per kg for tobacco, no trader had complied with the directive.

He also called for a ₹1,000-crore fund to facilitate tobacco procurement, alleging that both central and state governments were subservient to corporate interests.

CPI Prakasam district secretary R. Venkat Rao said tobacco farmers had paid thousands of crores in penalties to the governments, while tobacco exports generate lakhs of crores in foreign exchange. He questioned why the central government, which waives large corporate loans, could not allocate ₹1,000 crore for tobacco farmers.