INDIA
The increasing footprint of Covid-19 has had its adverse effect on many sectors till date and tobacco farmers seem to be the latest addition to that list.
So far, thousands of Prakasam tobacco farmers are staring at losses as most of their quality tobacco leaf bales may get spoiled as purchases were stalled up to March 31.
As per official information, this year only four or five big companies were regularly attending the tobacco auctions at all 10 auction centers in the district. However, even those companies were not buying their entire quota from the farmers, instead rejecting many tobacco bales brought by the farmers branding those as substandard. As a result of this, farmers suffered huge losses.
Last year from the beginning of the purchase season, some representatives of big Chinese firms were present, but this year due to coronavirus they are not there, thereby belying the hopes of farmers to get good prices.
However, Tobacco Board chairman Yadlapati Raghunath Babu said so far, there was no adverse impact of Covid-19 on the tobacco sector. “After reviewing the situation on March 31, we will decide future course of action regarding the continuation of tobacco purchase auction,” he added.