The Hindu Business Line : FDI in tobacco: `No change in policy'

Hyderabad April 5 The Centre is not contemplating any change in the policy on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in tobacco, according to the Union Minister of Commerce, Mr Kamal Nath.

He reassured farmers that their interests would be protected and would be of paramount interest to the Government. Giving this reaction of the Union Minister, Mr P. Chengal Reddy, Secretary General, Consortium of Indian Farmers Associations (CIFA), said the claims of farmers getting higher prices if FDI is allowed is incorrect.

International leaf merchants have been buying Indian tobacco through their representatives/offices in India for many years. Therefore, higher prices that they promised should have already been evident by now, he said in a press release here.

DELEGATION

Mr Reddy led a delegation of farmer representatives to express concern on recent reports suggesting a change in the Government policy on FDI in tobacco leaf processing and manufacturing sector. The delegation represented the views of farmers from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, the major tobacco growing states.

Mr Reddy cautioned the Government on the representations made by groups, which did not reflect the view of different regions of the tobacco growing States. The Indian manufacturers had consistently supported the growers in times of crisis and had even bought excess production to ensure that prices were kept buoyant unlike international buyers, the release added.

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