Decision on tobacco crop holiday likely on April 3

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, MARCH 27. The Tobacco Board, which met here on Monday, deferred a decision on the demand for a crop holiday for the 2000-2001 season to April 3.

The board will meet again in New Delhi after taking the opinion of both the Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka Governments besides bringing the same to the notice of the Union Commerce Minister.

The final decision on the matter would be possible only on April 3, the secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party and member, Tobacco Board, Mr. M. Venkaiah Naidu, said here on Monday.

Irked at the postponement, agitated farmers who had laid a siege to the ITC-owned star hotel where the board meeting was on were pacified by Mr. Naidu, the Guntur MP, Mr. Y. V. Rao, and former MP, Dr. Y. Sivaji. The farmers demanded that the meeting scheduled to be held in Delhi be shifted to Guntur, the tobacco bastion.

``There will be no auctions till a crop holiday is declared,'' Mr. Rao affirmed. ``We are not opposing the Government, this is a fight against the traders and the industry who have been taking the farmers for a ride,'' Mr. Rao told the gathering.

The board members heard the versions of the representatives of tobacco farmers of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. While the former unanimously insisted on a crop holiday for the 2000-2001 season, the Karnataka contingent countered the demand as farmers had already commenced the season's tobacco farming. However quoting reports, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu said 10 million kg of tobacco was lying unsold in Karnataka. He wanted the farmers to arrive at a consensus on the issue.

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Section  : Regional
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