Tobacco farmers' hopes go up in smoke

 The Tobacco Board, traders and exporters are frantically trying to know why the shrewd Chinese have skipped their visit scheduled for this week. The delegation was to visit Podili in Prakasam district and Jangareddygudem in West Godavari district in AP, Hunsur and Camplapura villages, and HD Kota and Periyapattana-6 auction platforms in Karnataka.

 The board officials and farmers have made elaborate arrangements at all these places to impress the Chinese entourage. The board is said to have spent lakhs of rupees in giving a facelift to its offices here and even booked a helicopter for the guests to visit the spots. Dayachari, the chairman of Tobacco Board, and the Indian Tobacco Association (ITA) leaders are now a worried lot.

 Excess tobacco crop is already lying with the Karnataka farmers and the excess crop expected in Andhra will aggravate their predicament as to how to clear that entire crop and who will buy it. Even in Karnataka, there is a decline in the production of high-grade tobacco this year.

 This year also, the farmers of Andhra and Karnataka did not heed the appeals of the board and the ITA not to raise unauthorised tobacco crop. Hundreds of farmers in the two states, without board