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Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitaraman had to face the ire of tobacco farmers in West Godavari district while participating in a farmers' convention at Koyyalagudem on Monday.
The convention was held by the Minister to interact with the tobacco farmers in the northern-light soils (NLS) of West Godavari, where virginia tobacco is grown under Koyyalagudem, Devarapalli, Gopalapuram and Jangareddigudem floors. NLS tobacco fetches the best price in the State.
Farmers protested against the regulatory measures being taken up by the Tobacco Board this season and brought it to the notice of the Minister. They told her that the board was refusing to allow cultivation even in authorised barns unless the unauthorised barns were dismantled. They said the cost of the cultivation was rising all the time and prices realised on the auction floors were not remunerative. The board was imposing the curbs without realising the ground realities, they complained.
The Minister told them the need for regulation but if there were any problems at the ground level she would take up the issue with the Tobacco Board Chairman. She also spoke about the need for raising alternative crops.
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