AP Tobacco farmers get Rs 10,000 special interest-free loan

ONGOLE: The Tobacco Board has started distributing the special interest-free loan of Rs 10,000 each to the Flue Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco growers of the Southern Black Soils (SBS) and Southern Light Soils (SLS).It has sanctioned Rs 4.10 crore loan to a total of 4,108 tobacco farmers so far.

The Tobacco Board officials and the Central Tobacco Research Institute (CTRI) scientists had formed  into six teams and inspected several tobacco fields in all the 11 tobacco auction platform limits from Vellampalli to DC Palli in Nellore district and assessed the crop damage. Based on their field level assessment reports, the Tobacco Board had decided to grant interest-free loans to all the tobacco farmers, who lost their crops due to the impact of recent cyclone.

The Tobacco Board had also recommended to the State government to reschedule the loans of all rain-hit tobacco crop farmers and also suggested that bankers and the government provide an additional loan of Rs 50,000 loan to them.

Recently, Tobacco Board Manager (Production) and Incharge Regional Manager M Krishna Sri interacted with the media at the Ongole Tobacco Regional Office and revealed information regarding sanction of  special interest-free loans to the tobacco farmers, who lost their crops in the SBS and SLS due to the Cyclone.

“Through our official teams field level survey reports, we came to know that the tobacco crop was damaged in around 26,000 hectares in all the 11 auction platform limits. After the Union Commerce Ministry’s approval, the Tobacco Board is now giving Rs 10,000 special interest-free loans to all the affected tobacco growers from the Tobacco Growers Welfare Fund. Farmers can get the special interest-free loan amount deposited in their bank accounts within 24 hours after submitting their applications at the respective tobacco auction platform office or through the CMP portal.  The loan amount will be remitted from the farmers’ second round tobacco auction earnings,” he explained.

For this season, the Tobacco Board had given permission for production of 92.69 million kg of Tobacco in the two regions and the growers cultivated it in around 50,000 hectares. Of the total, the crop in 26,000 hectares was damaged due to the cyclone.

“We appeal to Tobacco Board as well as to bankers and the government to reschedule our loans and we need a assistance in the form of Rs 10,000 or Rs 20,000 compensation from the Tobacco Board Corpus fund and Rs 50,000 special interest-free loan from bankers, P Venkata Rao, a farmers association leader, told TNIE.