The Hindu Business Line : Tobacco farmers demand excise rollback on non-filter cigarettes

New Delhi, March 28 Farmers from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka on Friday demanded a rollback of the hike in excise duty on non-filter cigarettes, as proposed in the budget. They fear that the hike in excise duty on non-filter cigarettes, ranging from 150 per cent to nearly 400 per cent, will wipe out the non-filter cigarette segment which accounts for 30 per cent of the industry.

Representatives of the Tobacco Growers’ Welfare Association of Andhra Pradesh and the Karnataka Tobacco Growers’ Forum have protested against the hike saying that the direct fallout will be a 30 per cent drop in tobacco crop production impacting the livelihoods of 35 lakh people involved in tobacco farming.

“Such a significant reduction in the demand for cigarette tobaccos will destroy the tobacco farmers,” said Mr L. Ananda, Honorary President of the Karnataka Tobacco Growers’ Forum.

Mr G. Sivaram Prasad, General Secretary of the Tobacco Growers’ Welfare Association of Andhra Pradesh, observed, “It is (strange)…that the Finance Minister has considered non-filter cigarettes to be equally toxic as filter cigarettes and imposed an astronomical excise duty, while completely protecting bidis and gutkha which are far more toxic than any other form of tobacco consumption.”

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