YS Jagan to Visit Devarapalli Tobacco Auction Platform Amid Price Slump

YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy is scheduled to visit the Devarapalli Tobacco Auction Platform in East Godavari district on Wednesday to interact with tobacco farmers who have been hit hard by the sharp decline in auction prices.

The visit follows appeals from tobacco growers, who recently met Jagan and urged him to visit the auction centre to witness their plight firsthand. According to YSRCP General Secretary MVS Nagi Reddy, the former Chief Minister will interact with farmers, hear their grievances and assess the challenges confronting the state's Flue-Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco sector.

The tour comes at a time when tobacco growers are reporting steep financial losses despite the state government's assurance that auction prices would not fall below ₹200 per kg. The YSRCP alleged that the average auction price has dropped to around ₹186.90 per kg, leaving many farmers unable to recover cultivation costs and suffering losses of nearly ₹50 per kg.

Nagi Reddy also questioned the functioning of the Tobacco Board, alleging that it has stopped publishing daily auction data including arrivals, prices and rejected lots for nearly ten days. The absence of updated information, he said, has raised concerns among farmers over transparency in the auction process even as protests continue at several procurement centres.

The controversy comes despite the recent announcement of a ₹188-crore price stabilisation package by the Centre and the Andhra Pradesh government. The package provides ₹20 per kg as price-deficit compensation and prescribes benchmark prices of ₹240-250 per kg for premium-grade tobacco, ₹190 per kg for medium-grade produce and ₹110 per kg for lower grades. However, opposition leaders argue that these measures have not translated into better returns for farmers at the auction platforms.

The YSRCP also criticised recent subsidy-related announcements by Union Minister Pemmasani Chandrasekhar, claiming they have offered little practical relief to growers. The party maintained that despite official assurances, farmers continue to receive prices well below the declared benchmarks.

To improve price realisation, Nagi Reddy urged the state government to deploy MARKFED (Andhra Pradesh State Cooperative Marketing Federation) as a procurement agency. He said the entry of a government-backed buyer would create healthy competition among traders, strengthen price discovery and help ensure remunerative returns for tobacco growers.

Describing the visit as part of the opposition's continued focus on agrarian issues, Nagi Reddy said earlier tours by Jagan Mohan Reddy on the problems faced by tobacco, chilli and mango farmers had prompted government action. He expressed hope that the Devarapalli visit would bring wider attention to the ongoing crisis and accelerate efforts to address the concerns of tobacco growers.