Farmers sold 165.33 million kg of flue-cured Virginia tobacco in the 123 days of the auction, which ended last week, earning an all-time high income of Rs 1,401.17 crore.
The average rate per kg was Rs 84.75, up 78 per cent. Last year, the farmers had sold 171.95 million kg at a rate of Rs 47.70 per kg and had earned Rs 816.25 crore in 163 days, Tobacco Board Chairman J Suresh Babu told Business Standard.
The highest price paid on a single day during the season was Rs 141.60 for the northern light soils (NLS) tobacco.
For the Andhra farmers, the season that began with Rs 58 a kg rose gradually to Rs 141.60. They also earned $2 a kg, on a par with their foreign counterparts.
Growers of NLS in Godavari district pocketed the highest average of Rs 99.09 a kg, followed by central black soils (CBS) in Krishna district at Rs 83.75 per kg.
While northern black soils (NBS) farmers in Khammam district collected Rs 83.14 per kg, the farmers of southern black soils (SBS) in Prakasam district received Rs 80.38 a kg and those of southern light soils (SLS) in Prakasam and Nellore districts Rs 77.79.
Farmers of NLS sold 45.73 million kg for Rs 453.13 crore, SLS sold 63 million kg for Rs 490.1 crore, SBS 46.81 million kg (Rs 376.25 crore), CBS 4.09 million kg (Rs 34.25 crore) and NBS sold 5.70 million kg for Rs 47.39 crore.
