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Hyderabad, Aug 15: The fierce fighting between Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka tobacco farmers has now intensified. Both the state governments are now struggling to satisfy the farmers of their respective states. The Central government, obviously following the pressure from Karnataka, has decided to increase the crop size for Karnataka to 74 million kg as against 53 million kg in the last year. Worried over the decision, the Andhra farmers have made the AP Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy to dispatch an official team to Delhi.
Thus annoyed over the arm-twisting tactics of Andhra farmers, the Karnataka farmers had sought shifting of headquarters of the Tobacco Board (TB) to New Delhi from Guntur in AP. Karnataka farmers’ representatives say that the AP farmers have all along been objecting to the increase of crop size, which is against the interest of Karnataka. They feel that the influence of Andhra farmers on the Board can be minimised, if the headquarters is shifted to New Delhi.
The issue is, in fact, not new. Interestingly, Mr Mohan Dharia, member of Parliament raised the issue of shifting the Tobacco Board headquarters during Janata rule in 1978. However, it was vetoed in the Rajya Sabha. As per the TB Act 1975, the board is headquartered at Guntur. “Shifting of headquarters is not an easy thing, the government has to amend the Act in Parliament”, Dr Y Shivaji, President, AP Tobacco Farmers Association told FE. Apart from increasing the crop size, the Centre had even authorised about 30,000 barns, which were being operated without licenses. The Andhra farmers are agitating over the government’s decision and sought its reversal. For the current season, the Andhra crop size has been fixed at 111 million kg and the state has about 40,000 barns.
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