Ongole: Prakasam district collector A Thameem Ansariya visited the tobacco auction centre at Throvagunta in Ongole on Thursday to examine the ongoing auction process.

During her visit, Ansariya reviewed the system of procuring tobacco from the farmers and gathered details from the Tobacco Board Regional Manager, Lakshmana Rao, and other auction centre officials. She engaged directly with farmers, enquiring about their tobacco cultivation acreage, yield per acre, and any difficulties they faced at the procurement centre.

Farmers brought several concerns to the Collector’s attention, explaining that they are facing financial distress due to non-remunerative prices despite strong market demand for tobacco. They reported increased labour and tenant farming costs compared to last year and urged officials to ensure their produce isn’t marked as “no bid” but instead purchased at fair prices. The collector assured farmers that ensuring fair prices for tobacco is the government’s goal, during her inspection of tobacco auction proceedings.

She directed officials to take necessary measures to ensure tobacco procurement proceeds without causing any inconvenience or problems for farmers. She emphasised that securing profitable prices for farmers’ produce is government’s objective and assured the farmers that appropriate actions would be taken accordingly.

Tobacco Board Auction Officer Tulasi, Ongole Rural Tahsildar Prasad, and other officials were present.