Guntur, Jan. 2:

Tobacco farmers in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka should stick to the crop size fixed by the board and not grow surplus, even though they have been getting record prices for the past two seasons, according to Mr J. Suresh Babu, Chairman of the Tobacco Board.

At the Tobacco Board Formation Day celebrations here on Friday, he sounded the note of caution to farmers in both the principal tobacco-growing States.

He said the board had fixed the crop size at 170 million kg in Andhra Pradesh and 100 million kg in Karnataka and it would not be possible to revise it upwards anymore.

Currently, tobacco auctions were going on in Karnataka and farmers in that State were getting very good prices and auctions in Andhra Pradesh would commence later. However, he said, it was necessary for farmers in both States to regulate production to maintain the price level.

He said the board was committed to the welfare of farmers and the latter should co-operate with it in regulating the crop size and conducting the auctions.

The average price in Karnataka a kg of tobacco was Rs 108 and the maximum Rs 150, he said. Exports of tobacco and tobacco products touched $503 million during 2007-08 and the figure may go up to $700 million by the end of the current fiscal.

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