Tobacco Board says SC judgement may render it ineffective

The Tobacco Board has said that its 'effectiveness' has become endangered after the Supreme Court held that central statutes must give way to state laws with respect to marketing of farm produce.

"The January 2002 Supreme Court judgement holds that the state laws shall prevail over the central statutes with regards to marketing agricultural produce. This may render ineffective the Tobacco Board, which regulates production and marketing of tobacco in the country," Tobacco Board chairman P Dayachari told newspersons here on Monday.

Tobacco-cultivating states may enact laws to protect the interest of tobacco growers in their respective states, thus unwittingly generating conflicts and abridging the powers of the Tobacco Board, he said.

The Tobacco Board fixes production targets for tobacco and provides auction platforms for marketing the produce and fixes the minimum support price.

The chairman appealed to the tobacco growers to adhere to the crop size fixed by the board. Over production is harmful to the growers, he warned.