YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy is set to visit the Devarapalli tobacco auction centre in West Godavari district on Wednesday, 4 August, to meet tobacco farmers reeling under a sharp fall in prices. The visit, confirmed by the party, will include a review of ongoing procurement operations and direct interaction with growers to understand their grievances.

What Jagan Will Assess on the Ground

During the visit, Jagan Mohan Reddy is expected to inspect procurement operations at the Devarapalli auction platform and hold extensive discussions with farmers. Key issues on the agenda include cultivation costs, remunerative pricing, procurement practices, and systemic challenges affecting tobacco growers' livelihoods.

Farmers had earlier called on the YSRCP chief and urged him to visit the auction centre firsthand to witness their plight — a request the former Chief Minister has now accepted, according to the party.

The Price Crisis: What the Numbers Show

Despite Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu's stated position that tobacco should not be procured below ₹200 per kg, the average auction price has reportedly slipped to ₹186.90 per kg, according to YSRCP General Secretary MVS Nagi Reddy. He told reporters at the party's central office in Tadepalli on Tuesday that farmers are effectively losing ₹50 per kg.

The government has announced a tiered procurement structure — high-quality tobacco at ₹250 per kg, medium quality at ₹190, and low quality at ₹110 — but Nagi Reddy argued this announcement offers little practical relief to growers facing below-threshold average realisations.

Tobacco Board Data Blackout Deepens Farmer Anxiety

Adding to the distress, the Tobacco Board — which is mandated to publicly upload auction data covering quantity, price, and rejections — has reportedly stopped publishing this information for the past 10 days, according to Nagi Reddy. The absence of transparent data has left farmers without reliable market intelligence, compounding uncertainty at the auction floor.

Farmers have staged protests, but the party claims there has been no meaningful government response so far.

YSRCP's Demand: Activate Markfed to Restore Competition

The YSRCP has called on the state government to press Markfed — the state marketing federation — into active procurement. Nagi Reddy argued that Markfed's participation would introduce competitive pressure at auction centres and help farmers secure fairer prices. The party said it will continue to raise farmers' issues based on what it described as 'authentic data.'

Separately, Nagi Reddy raised concerns over Srisailam reservoir waters being drawn by Telangana through five lifts, which he said is affecting Rayalaseema. He also noted that the El Niño impact may be limited in the state given heavy rains in upstream catchment areas across Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Chhattisgarh.

With the YSRCP positioning this visit as a pressure tactic, all eyes are on whether the state government moves to address procurement concerns before or after Jagan's tour of West Godavari.