Latest news with #WhiteBurley
Hans India
23-05-2025
- Business
- Hans India
Crop planning should align with mkt demand: CM
Vijayawada: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday directed the officials of the Agriculture department to go for crop-specific planning aligned with national and global market trends. Naidu emphasised the need to inform farmers in advance about suitable crops based on market dynamics to ensure a balance between supply and demand and prevent losses. "Farmers must cultivate only high-demand crops to avoid losses," said Naidu. He instructed the officials to adopt scientific planning and monitor global agricultural developments regularly. During an official review on key crops such as tobacco, cocoa, mango, and paddy, he discussed immediate and long-term farmers' issues. He stated that both short-term and long-term challenges in agriculture must be addressed through the Cabinet Sub-Committee. The CM instructed officials that cocoa stocks with farmers should be purchased at Rs 500 per kg, and if the companies fail to do that, he said the government should step in for direct procurement. He also ordered accurate registration of HD Burley tobacco stocks through an app and approved a crop holiday for that variety due to lack of market demand. He is pursuing the inclusion of HD and White Burley varieties under the Tobacco Board and will discuss farmer concerns with union ministers. The Chief Minister also reviewed challenges faced by tomato farmers and instructed officials to encourage more tomato processing units in the state to ensure fair prices. On paddy, officials informed him that procurement is progressing smoothly, with even rain-damaged stock being purchased. To boost mango pulp consumption, he suggested a Goods and Service Tax (GST) reduction on pure juices and proposed its use in mid-day meals and Tirumala-Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) temple offerings to increase demand. This initiative is aimed at boosting mango juice consumption and alleviating the financial strain on mango farmers, who are currently grappling with declining prices. It has been observed that a lack of orders has led to a slowdown in mango procurement, causing considerable distress among mango growers. Naidu directed officials to ensure that pulp processing companies immediately resume procurement. However, officials highlighted that existing stockpiles and a shortage of bank loans for pulp companies are limiting their capacity to purchase fresh stock. To address this, the CM instructed officials to facilitate bank loans for these processing units. Ministers Ayyanna Patrudu, Nadendla Manohar, Gottipati Ravikumar, Nimmala Ramanaidu, and Payyavula Keshav participated in the review meeting.
New Indian Express
17-05-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Ensure no tobacco farmer incurs loss: CM Chandrababu Naidu
VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has taken a firm stand to protect tobacco farmers from losses amid a sharp decline in prices. During a high-level review meeting held at his Undavalli residence on Friday, he issued stringent directions to officials to ensure the immediate procurement of tobacco at fair prices. He emphasised that tobacco farmers should not suffer losses under any circumstances, and warned that any exploitation will attract severe consequences, underscoring his commitment to safeguarding the interests of both farmers and industries. He expressed deep concern over the plummeting tobacco prices, which has sparked unrest among farmers. He made it clear that the government's reputation should not be tarnished due to procurement delays or unfair practices. He set an ambitious target for companies like GPI and ITC to procure 20 million kg of HD Burley tobacco at Rs 12,500 per quintal, based on quality. To enforce accountability, he directed the Agriculture Department to monitor daily purchases through a dedicated control room and WhatsApp group, with progress reports for every two days. Naidu stressed that no tobacco stocks should remain unsold, whether stored at farmers' houses or fields. A comprehensive procurement report, detailing tobacco quantities and prices, has been sought by Monday. The Chief Minister attributed the crisis to an unprecedented yield of 450 million kg of tobacco from 1,90,456 hectares in 2024-25 season, driven by farmers shifting to tobacco cultivation due to its high productivity. This overproduction, particularly of FCV, White Burley, and HD Burley varieties, has led to a glut, exacerbating price slump, he explained.
Hans India
17-05-2025
- Business
- Hans India
Tobacco farmers must not suffer due to lack of remunerative prices: Naidu
Vijayawada: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday issued firm directives that tobacco farmers in the State must not suffer losses under any circumstances. He ordered that traders must begin immediate procurement of tobacco at remunerative prices and underlined that procurement should not stop under any pretext. He made it clear that any injustice to farmers would not be tolerated. He warned traders that the government would not hesitate to take action if the current crisis is not resolved promptly. In a review meeting held at his Undavalli residence on Friday with officials and traders regarding procurement and support prices for tobacco, cocoa, chili, and paddy, Naidu expressed deep dissatisfaction over the sharp fall in tobacco prices. He directed authorities to ensure farmers get remunerative prices and to avoid any actions that would bring disrepute to the government. He said that the HD Burley variety of tobacco must be purchased by companies at Rs 12,500 per quintal based on quality. GPI and ITC must immediately begin procurement of 20 million kg. Daily procurement must be monitored through a control room and WhatsApp groups. Officials informed Naidu that a total of 450 million kg of FCV, White Burley, and HD Burley tobacco was produced across 1,90,456 hectares in 2024–25—a record high. A shift from other crops to tobacco caused this unexpected surge, leading to oversupply issues. Babu criticised the Tobacco Board for failing to prevent the price crash and said there was poor coordination with major traders like GPI and ITC. He noted that while companies lured farmers with the promise of high prices, they slashed rates at harvest time—an unacceptable betrayal. He faulted companies for creating a crisis by denying MSP. To resolve the crisis, he pointed out that only a Buyback Agreement Policy could protect farmers. He urged farmers to enter into buyback agreements with companies from now on. Companies explained that the Tobacco Board regulates only FCV tobacco. Over 90% of White Burley tobacco has already been procured. Reviewing cocoa procurement, he instructed Mondelez to not buy cocoa beans below Rs 500/kg. He warned against exploitation of farmers and urged coordination with other companies to ensure uniform pricing. He asked Mondelez to prepare a value-chain plan from cultivation to product development. A dedicated cocoa policy, similar to that for oil palm, is needed, he said. He instructed the Agriculture Marketing Department to prepare a list of chili farmers who sold produce through market committees and suffered losses due to low prices. He directed that all remaining paddy still with farmers be procured and that fine rice cultivation be promoted.
The Hindu
17-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Restore farmers' confidence by ensuring MSP for produce, A.P. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu tells officials
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday took a serious note of the tobacco farmers' plight, falling prices of cocoa, and losses suffered by chilli farmers. Expressing strong displeasure over the fall in tobacco prices, Mr. Naidu, during a review meeting, asked the officials to restore farmers' confidence by ensuring minimum support price for the produce so that the government's reputation was not tarnished. Insisting that the farmers be bailed out of the distress situation, the Chief Minister directed the officials to ensure that tobacco farmers did not suffer losses under any circumstances. 'Traders must commence procurement of tobacco at remunerative prices immediately,' he said, adding that the process should not stop under any pretext. HD Burley tobacco Mr. Naidu further said that companies should purchase HD Burley tobacco at the rate of ₹12,500 per quintal based on quality. GPI and ITC companies must immediately start procuring 20 million kg. Procurement should be monitored daily through a control room and WhatsApp groups. The Agriculture Department must report procurement details every two days, the Chief Minister said. The officials informed the Chief Minister that in the 2024-25 season, tobacco cultivation, including FCV, White Burley, and HD Burley varieties, was carried out in an extent of 1,90,456 hectares in the State, resulting in a yield of 450 million kg, which was the highest ever. Due to the farmers' preference to tobacco cultivation over other crops, production unexpectedly doubled, creating new problems, they said. Referring to cocoa, Mr. Naidu stressed the need to ensure remunerative price for the produce. He asked Mondelez company to procure cocoa beans at a price not less than ₹500 per kg. Mr. Naidu instructed Mondelez to formulate a plan covering all aspects, from cultivation to value addition. He also emphasised the need to develop a special model for cocoa cultivation and marketing, similar to the one adopted for oil palm. Advice to chilli farmers The Chief Minister instructed officials of the Agricultural Marketing Department to prepare a list of farmers who sold chilli through agricultural market committees. A study should be conducted to assess the extent of losses suffered by the chilli farmers. Middlemen should be completely excluded from the list, and only genuine farmers should be included. 'There is also a need to create awareness among the chilli farmers to reduce the use of pesticides and follow quality standards that align with export requirements,' he added. The Chief Minister directed officials to purchase the remaining paddy from the farmers across the State and encourage them to cultivate fine (sanna) varieties of paddy. The officials informed the Chief Minister that so far during this rabi season, 17.62 lakh tonnes of paddy had been procured from 1,41,144 farmers, and ₹3,258 crore credited to their accounts. In contrast, during the rabi season of 2023–24 under the previous government, 10.97 lakh tonnes of paddy had been procured from 49,866 farmers, and ₹1,103 crore paid to them. The officials said that in the current kharif season, 35.95 lakh tonnes of paddy was procured from 5,65,369 farmers, and ₹8,278 crore credited to their accounts. Under the previous government, during the 2023–24 kharif season, 29.97 lakh tonnes of paddy had been procured from 4,97,907 farmers, and ₹6,549 crore was paid, the officials said.
Time of India
16-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
CM warns traders over declining tobacco prices
Vijayawada: Taking a serious note of the lacklustre procurement of tobacco by traders, chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu directed officials to ensure that traders procure the entire tobacco stocks from farmers without any price reduction, while warning of stringent action against traders if farmers incur losses. The CM, who held a review meeting with officials over issues in the procurement of tobacco, chilli, and cocoa on Friday, expressed dissatisfaction over the decline in tobacco prices . Making it clear that HD Burley tobacco must be bought at a minimum price of 12,500 per quintal, he said traders like ITC and GPI should take immediate steps to procure 20 million kg of tobacco. He further directed officials to monitor daily purchases through a control room and submit a report every two days. Agriculture dept officials informed Naidu that there was an unexpected increase in tobacco yield this year, which, coupled with poor demand in the international market, caused the crisis. Tobacco varieties like FCV, White Burley, and HD Burley were cultivated in 1.9 lakh hectares during 2024-25, yielding 450 million kilograms. They said this is the highest crop yield, and the shift of farmers from other crops to tobacco also contributed to the increase in overall yield. CM bats for buyback policy Noting that buyback policy is the best way to overcome the current problem, Naidu suggested that farmers should enter into buyback agreements with companies from now on. "The tobacco board should monitor the implementation of the buyback policy and ensure purchases take place as agreed. Prices should be set according to global demand and supply to ensure profits for farmers," he said, adding that traders woo farmers to cultivate tobacco when the demand is high, but shy away when production increases, putting the farmers at a loss. "This cannot be allowed from now on, and traders must commit to a buyback agreement," he warned. On reduction of cocoa prices , Naidu said Mondelez should purchase cocoa beans at 500 per kg. "No company should exploit farmers in cocoa bean purchases. Start coordinating with other companies to ensure purchases at 500 per kg," he said.
