Tobacco Farmers Protest with Tractors in Ongole Over Falling Prices
Tobacco farmers in Ongole staged a large-scale tractor protest to demand better remunerative prices for their crops. The growers, struggling with debts due to plummeting market rates, are urging the government to initiate direct procurement through Markfed to bypass exploitative private sector pricing.
Highlights
- •Hundreds of tobacco farmers held a tractor protest in Ongole demanding fair market prices.
- •Protesters are seeking a government-backed procurement price of ₹30,000 per quintal through Markfed.
- •Farmers alleged that Tobacco Board officials are suppressing prices by increasing 'no-bid' instances.
- •Traffic on the Kondapi-Tanguturu highway was blocked for over an hour during the demonstration.
A significant number of tobacco growers in Ongole organized a protest on Friday, utilizing tractors to voice their intense dissatisfaction over plummeting market prices for their harvest. The demonstration, which moved from the Mini Stadium to the Collectorate, highlighted the severe economic distress currently impacting farmers in the region.
The participants expressed that both state and central government authorities have failed to safeguard their interests, even after what they described as a high-quality crop season. A primary demand put forth by the tobacco farmers is the allocation of ₹1,000 crore to facilitate direct procurement through Markfed auction centers, bypassing private entities that currently dictate unfairly low rates.
Addressing Falling Tobacco Prices and Economic Hardship
According to Chunduri Ranga Rao, the district convener of the Joint Kisan Morcha, the prevailing market conditions have forced tobacco prices down to approximately ₹16,000 per quintal. This sharp decline has rendered many growers unable to cover their fundamental labor and logistics expenses, effectively trapping them in a cycle of mounting debt.
The demonstrators argued that the government must intervene by mandating a minimum purchase price of ₹30,000 per quintal. Furthermore, they pointedly criticized local legislators and elected officials from the erstwhile Prakasam district for their lack of responsiveness, noting that the community has been engaged in protests for nearly a month without achieving any tangible policy shifts or relief measures.
Tensions escalated when the protesters initiated a blockade on the Kondapi-Tanguturu highway, using their tractors to stall transit. During this standoff, farmers raised specific concerns regarding the conduct of Tobacco Board officials. They alleged that the officials were deliberately increasing the frequency of \"no-bid\" status on lots, a move that effectively suppressed the minimum market price by ₹160 per kg.
Additionally, the farmers maintained that the current market operations are in direct contradiction to directives previously issued by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who had mandated that a minimum purchase price of ₹200 per kg be ensured across all tobacco varieties. The obstruction on the highway persisted for over an hour, causing significant traffic disruption, before local law enforcement arrived to negotiate with the organizers and successfully restore the flow of vehicles.
