Bengaluru, Feb 18 (NationPress) The JD(S) unit in Karnataka expressed its gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal for their intervention in aiding the state's troubled tobacco farmers.

In an announcement, Nikhil Kumaraswamy, the President of the State JD(S) Youth Wing and the son of Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H. D. Kumaraswamy, thanked Minister Goyal for permitting unlicensed tobacco farmers in areas such as Hunsur, Periyapatna, and H.D. Kote to market their products while also canceling the penalties that had been enforced on them.

Appreciating the decision from the Centre, he recounted: "On December 2, 2024, a delegation headed by Union Minister Kumaraswamy engaged with Union Minister Goyal in New Delhi to submit a memorandum, followed by a pivotal meeting with senior officials from the Commerce Department on December 21."

Nikhil Kumaraswamy also pointed out that the delegation comprised Mysuru-Kodagu BJP MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, former minister S. R. Mahesh, Hunsur MLA G.T. Harish Gowda, and members from the tobacco farming community.

He underscored that the tobacco farmers in Karnataka faced substantial losses due to excessive rainfall in May and July of the previous year, which significantly reduced the yields of FCV (flue-cured Virginia) tobacco and degraded leaf quality. The intervention from the Centre is expected to bring relief to countless affected farmers.

"The government led by Prime Minister Modi has implemented numerous groundbreaking, farmer-friendly measures, with this initiative to assist Karnataka's tobacco farmers being one of them," he remarked.

Following the Centre's decision, auction centers under the Tobacco Board will enable the sale of excess tobacco from registered farmers alongside unregistered farmers' unauthorized tobacco, he noted.

In Karnataka, FCV tobacco is grown across 53,325 hectares, involving 40,487 registered farmers and 12,838 unlicensed growers.

"This action will particularly aid the 12,838 unlicensed tobacco farmers," he emphasized.

"The Central government, under Narendra Modi, has taken a historic measure to mitigate the distress faced by Karnataka's tobacco farmers," Nikhil Kumaraswamy concluded.

Meanwhile, B.Y. Vijayendra, the State President, expressed his sentiments on X, stating, "Special thanks to Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji and Union Minister Piyush Goyal Ji for showing empathy and coming to the aid of FCV tobacco growers, who endured severe distress due to heavy rains in May, June, and July 2024."

Recognizing the struggles of Karnataka's FCV tobacco farmers, the Union Government has authorized the sale of excess tobacco from registered growers and unauthorized tobacco from unregistered growers at the Tobacco Board auction sites, at the standard service charge rates, without any extra fees, he explained.