Mysore: With the fluctuating price of tobacco having had little impact on its e-auction, around 50 million kgs of it have been sold so far in the state, which has had a production of 110 million kgs this season and the Tobacco Board hopes to wrap up the auction by the end of February next year.
“Before the start of the auction, we wrote to all our major foreign customers to speed up their purchase and lift the tobacco early to help both the traders and growers. As the tobacco grown in Karnataka has high moisture content its quality can deteriorate if the farmer delays its auction,” said K. Narasimhaiah, regional manager, Tobacco Board.
Claiming that there has been complete transparency in the e-auction and atÂtempts to form a cartel have been pre-empted, he says the tobacco farmer is likely to get a better price this year.
“CCTV cameras are being installed on all the platforms and the entire auction will be recorded”, Narasimhaiah added.
Responding to the backlash from tobacco growers following the suicide of a farmer in K.R. Nagar taluk reportedly due to a fall in tobacco prices, the board has advised the farmers to grow tobacco scientifically so they don’t suffer a loss.
The official also claimed that the prices for three grades of tobacco – bright, medium and low – were better so far this year when compared to last year.
The average price for the bright grade was Rs 164.03 per kg, for medium grade, 146.75 per kg and for low grade, Rs 91.23 a kg in the current season as against Rs 139 for bright grade, Rs 128.13 for medium grade and Rs 89.85 for low grade last year, he noted.
