Tobacco Board meet deferred to August 18

The Tobacco Board meeting, which was to be held on August 5, has been deferred to August 18.

The Board meet assume significance as it is supposed to decide the size of the crop for the 2020-21 season in Andhra Pradesh.

The Board regulates the size of the crop in order to keep tabs on unauthorised sowing and conducts auctions where tobacco companies and traders bid for tobacco quantities at the specially earmarked auction platforms.

With Covid-19 hitting post-harvest operations, some tobacco farmers wanted the Board to put off the meeting for two-three weeks. They wanted the Board to reduce the crop size this year as they found it difficult to sell the produce from the last season. The auctions have been delayed by three months after the pandemic forced the auction platforms to put off operations.

The Federation of All India Farmer Associations (FAIFA), however, made an appeal to the Tobacco Board, asking it not to cut back on the output.

They argued that the crop coverage has reduced in the last four-five years. The farmers couldn’t take any further cut in the crop size, the FAIFA contended.

Last year the tobacco output in Andhra Pradesh was fixed at 130-135 million kg.