Former Chief Minister and YSRCP President Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has assured tobacco farmers that the YSR Congress Party will stand firmly by them and intensify its struggle until the government ensures justice. After hearing the grievances of tobacco farmers who met him, YS Jagan said he would tour the erstwhile West Godavari district within the next week to ten days, most likely Gopalapuram or Jangareddygudem, to directly meet farmers and build pressure on the government.
He said farmers across tobacco-growing regions are facing a severe price and procurement crisis, while the Chandrababu government remains unmoved. YSRCP will not remain silent when farmers are being pushed into distress sales, he said, adding that the party would organise protests in districts where farmers are suffering due to the collapse in prices. Since he had already toured Prakasam district last year, YS Jagan said he would now visit West Godavari and, if the government still fails to respond, he would undertake another tour to Kandukur within a few days.
Only 16.5% Crop Purchased After 94 Days
YS Jagan said the scale of government failure is visible in the tobacco procurement figures. Nearly 94 days have passed since tobacco auctions began, but only 16.5 percent of the harvested crop has been purchased so far. Against a total production of around 232 million kilograms of tobacco in the State, only 38 million kilograms has been procured.
He pointed out that the procurement process is normally expected to be completed within about 100 days, but even after 94 days, not even one-fifth of the crop has been purchased. This has left farmers deeply anxious, especially because tobacco auctions in Karnataka are expected to begin in September. Once traders shift there, farmers in Andhra Pradesh fear that the remaining crop will be left without buyers.
Farmers told YS Jagan that they are being forced into a desperate situation where they have to plead with buyers to purchase their produce at whatever price is available. “Buy our crop at some price and save us,” has become the cry of tobacco farmers under the present government, he said.
Prices Crash Despite Chief Minister’s Warning
YS Jagan said Chandrababu Naidu had claimed in a review meeting that tobacco prices should not fall below ₹200 per kilogram, but prices collapsed the very next day. This, he said, proves how powerful the traders’ syndicate has become and how ineffective the government has been in protecting farmers.
Tobacco was purchased at ₹179 in Podili, ₹184 in Tangutur, ₹184 in Kanigiri, ₹186 in Kandukur, ₹170 in Jangareddygudem, and as low as ₹130 in Gopalapuram. The collapse in prices immediately after the Chief Minister’s warning clearly shows that traders are acting as a syndicate and the government is merely watching, he said.
Farmers are also being hit through no-bids and large-scale rejection of bales. Instead of creating competition among buyers and ensuring a fair price, the procurement system has become a tool to push farmers into losses.
Tobacco Board’s Purpose Defeated
YS Jagan said the Tobacco Board was established to ensure competition among traders and secure better prices for farmers. But under Chandrababu’s rule, that objective has been completely defeated. Traders have formed a syndicate, prices are being pushed down, and the government has failed to act against those violating norms.
He said not even a single case has been registered against companies that are violating rules. Not one licence has been suspended. Not one trader has been blacklisted. Licensed traders who had given advance assurances on cultivation and purchase quantities are now ignoring their responsibility, leaving farmers at the mercy of the market.
YS Jagan demanded that the government take immediate steps to ensure that licensed traders purchase the crop as promised and at prices that do not cause losses to farmers.
Bring MARKFED Into Procurement
YS Jagan said the government must immediately bring MARKFED into tobacco procurement and send a strong message that it stands with farmers. During the YSRCP government, MARKFED was brought onto the tobacco auction platform in a manner not seen anywhere else in the country, he said.
Once MARKFED entered the market, real competition was created and the traders’ syndicate was broken. The very fear that the government was ready to procure on behalf of farmers forced traders to offer better prices, he said. As a result, tobacco prices increased and farmers gained confidence that the government was on their side.
In contrast, the Chandrababu government is preventing MARKFED from entering procurement, thereby strengthening the traders’ syndicate and weakening farmers.
YSRCP Government’s Farmer Support Model
YS Jagan said the YSRCP government stood by tobacco farmers and farmers of all crops through a structured market intervention system. To ensure remunerative prices, the YSRCP government created a Market Intervention Fund of nearly ₹3,000 crore and spent around ₹7,800 crore over five years on crop procurement and market intervention.
He said every Rythu Bharosa Kendra (RBK) was converted into an agricultural price monitoring centre. Minimum remunerative prices for every crop were displayed on boards at RBKs, and whenever prices fell below the minimum level, the RBK agriculture assistant alerted the government.
The government also monitored price movements through CM APP — Continuous Monitoring of Agricultural Prices and Procurement. Every District Joint Collector was made Joint Managing Director of MARKFED so that procurement could begin immediately wherever prices fell. This system created confidence among farmers and ensured timely government intervention, he said.
Farmers Say They Are Being Abandoned
Earlier, tobacco farmers poured out their grievances before YS Jagan. They said the government had completely abandoned them even as July is coming to an end and large quantities of stock remain unsold. They expressed fear that once traders move to Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh farmers will be left in the lurch.
Farmers said companies had earlier encouraged them to take up large-scale cultivation, but when the time came to purchase the crop, the same companies formed a syndicate and brought down prices. Farmers from Kandukur said they were not even being allowed to protest and false cases were being filed against them.
They said no-bids and rejection of bales are causing severe distress. Farmers also stated that a farmer from Polavaram died by suicide after being unable to sell his produce. They said the government will move only if YS Jagan steps in and builds pressure.
YSRCP Will Intensify the Fight
YS Jagan said government negligence has allowed middlemen and traders to form syndicates and loot farmers. Earlier, farmers had the assurance that the government would stand by them. Now, they feel abandoned by the government, he said.
He said YSRCP would stand with farmers irrespective of the district or crop. Wherever farmers are in distress, the party will raise their issues and fight for them. “It is easy to wake up a sleeping government, but to wake up Chandrababu’s government which is pretending to sleep, stronger pressure is needed,” he said.
YS Jagan said permanent relief for farmers will come only when a people’s government returns to power, but until then YSRCP will not leave farmers to suffer. The party will continue to put pressure on the government and take farmers’ issues to the people across the State.
“Only when the farmer is well will the State be well. Only when there is a smile on the farmer’s face will the State prosper. If the government does not stand by farmers, YSRCP will not remain silent. We will intensify the fight until justice is done to tobacco farmers,” he said.
