India farmers' protest halts tobacco sales

(Business Standard) With tobacco farmers agitating for remunerative prices, auctions at the 11 platforms spread over the southern black soils (SBS) and southern light soils (SLS) in Prakasam and part of Nellore districts are yet to start.
Tobacco growers are on strike since June 2, demanding higher prices and have refused to bring the product to auction platforms since June 9.
The requests by Tobacco Board chairman, G Kamalavardhana Rao, to increase the price to Rs 120 a kg from Rs 104 a kg had fallen on deaf ears and farmers were left with no option but to keep off from the auction centres.
On the other hand, buyers say the tobacco prices in the international market have come down and there were no export orders on hand. Continued