The down and out of tobacco farmers of Krishna district are likely to sell their licenses and switch to other crops in the coming season after the recent decision of the Board of Tobacco to allow the transfer of the license barn farmers in other regions of the country, Karnataka on.
Hardly a year goes by when Krishna farmers must struggle to sell their shares mainly because traders tend to offer low prices referring to the poor quality of the crop. As a result, farmers may sell their shares and they do not give up tobacco farming. And it is due to the presence of pits.
Indeed, Krishna farmers require Tobacco Board compensation for the dismantling of their barns, they can move on to other cultures. After hectic lobbying, tobacco Council gave the green light to transfer the license to shed other regions in a recent meeting of the governing body.
Council’s decision to permit the movement of tobacco barns revived hopes of farmers from the areas and Kesara Kanchikacherla in Krishna district, Tullur in Guntur district and Bhadrachalam in Khammam who also would like to quit tobacco products in accordance with their mounting losses.
It is learnt that cash rich farmers of West Godavari district as well as those from Karnataka are rushing to Krishna district to grab the licenses from local cultivators.
According to initial inputs, nearly 1,800 barns in Kesara, Kanchikacherla, Tullur and Bhadrachalam would be cleared for transfer to other regions.
While the farmers in these areas are desperate to get rid of their tobacco licenses, those in Northern light soils (NLS) region Devarapalli, Koyyalagudem, Gopalapuram, Jangareddigudem in West Godavari seek to increase production, as there is a great demand for their shares in the international market .
In the absence of science policy, farmers in the region will be recognized NLS producing huge reserves without permission they nonetheless unload after paying a fine to the board. After careful study of the whole question, tobacco Chairman G Kamalavardhan Rao urged the council to shift unwanted barns in areas where there is demand for them.
Farmers from NLS belts are now trying to get the barns in Krishna, a move that would allow them to be performed by a stock in the future. Sources said that the farmers of West Godavari offer up to Rs 05.06 crore for the transmission license.
Apart from the cost to have the license transferred to the farmer will also have to pay for the construction of the shed, which can add another Rs 1.5 crore to its expenses. “With a license to put an end to year’s headache pay fines, NLS farmers are willing to pay huge sums for its transmission.
This will help us in a big way to clear our debts and go to other cultures, “said Purnachandra Rao, tobacco farmer Kanchikacherla.
Overall, there are about 42,000 authorized barns in the state and another 21,000 barns in Karnataka. Interestingly, the farmers from Karnakata, is believed to have built about 20,000 barns without permission and refused to remove them, despite warnings from the field. On the other hand, the board officials also failed to act tough against such unauthorized pits due to pressure from the public. Meanwhile, farmers of Krishna district are in no hurry to sell their barns in the hope of getting more awards waiting for some time. They hope to get around Rs.8-10 lakh for the barn, if farmers of Karnataka are also line up for the licenses.