There were no takers for the low grade varieties of tobacco lying idle with the farmers during the same period three years ago, forcing the Andhra Pradesh government then to make a first-of-its-kind intervention, in the market regulated by the Union Commerce Ministry-led Tobacco Board.
Now smiles are back on the faces of farmers in the traditional tobacco growing areas in Nellore and Prakasam districts as the market has witnessed a sea change with the prices of low grade varieties fetching record prices in over a decade. It is all because of the shortage of crop both within the country as well as abroad.
