He says the growing illicit trade in cigarettes is a matter of concern in view of the high and penal taxation on domestic cigarettes.
He says the growing illicit trade in cigarettes is a matter of concern in view of the high and penal taxation on domestic cigarettes.
The Federation of All India Farmer’s Associations (FAIFA) on Friday expressed concern over high taxation, stringent regulations, low crop production, lack of export incentives and the menace of smuggled cigarettes and urged policy makers to mitigate the problems plaguing them. urged to take action.
Tobacco growers from Prakasam and Nellore districts participated in a meeting on the occasion of World Tobacco Growers Day in Ongole on Friday.
Tobacco Board member and FAIFA executive member Maredi Subrahmanyeswara Reddy lamented that in the wake of the fall in Flu-Cure Virginia (FCV) tobacco production from 325 million kg in 2014-15 to 180, growers have suffered a loss of over Rs 6,000 crore . million kg in 2020-21.
The growing illegal cigarette trade added to his woes in the wake of high and punitive taxation on domestic cigarettes, he said, adding that the illegal cigarette market in India had doubled from 13.5 billion sticks in 2006 to 30 billion sticks in 2021. Danger was the need of the hour, he insisted.
Association’s Vice President Gadde Seshagiri Rao urged the Center to help FCV producers meet international standards as the sector provided direct and indirect employment to over 47.5 million people. He pointed to studies conducted by the Central Tobacco Research Institute (CTRI), which showed that there was no viable economic alternative to tobacco for farmers in the drought-prone region.
Its Secretary-General Murali Babu said that although the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) emphasized the need to balance the socio-economic dependence of tobacco cultivation and tobacco control activities, anti-tobacco activists should give due respect to policy makers. without prompting them to make excessive decisions. It recommended a calibrated approach to the cultivation and needs of the tobacco farming community.