Tobacco Board urges ryots to produce quality output
The Hindu
Action plan has been prepared to step up exports by 32% this year, says official
The Tobacco Board has adopted a multi-pronged strategy to help farmers realise a remunerative price for their produce with a focus on stepping up exports in a big way, its Executive Director Addanki Sridhar Babu has said.
Taking part in the World Tobacco Growers’ Day celebrations at the Ongole-II auction platform on Thursday, Mr. Sridhar Babu termed the Centre’s decision to cut the penalty on excess production by half as a ‘victory’ for the farmers who had been demanding it since long. “The Tobacco Board is keen on stepping up exports. Farmers should produce good quality tobacco comprising more bright grade varieties to ensure better price for their produce,” he said.
The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.