Centre permits sale of excess tobacco in Andhra Pradesh for 2025-26 crop season

The government has relaxed certain restrictions under the Tobacco Board Act to allow the sale of excess ‘flue-cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco’ produced by registered and unregistered growers in Andhra Pradesh.

Flue-cured tobacco is tobacco dried in a special, smoke-free barn using heat channelled through metal pipes, or flues.

The relaxation has been permitted for auctions during the 2025-26 crop season, according to a notification issued by the Department of Commerce on September 24.

In July, a team from the Department of Commerce, led by Additional Secretary Nitin Kumar Yadav, visited Andhra Pradesh to review the current market conditions for this tobacco.

The decision has been taken in the public interest to facilitate the disposal of excess FCV tobacco of registered growers and unauthorised FCV tobacco of unregistered growers at auction platforms authorised by the Tobacco Board in Andhra Pradesh.

The notification said the Centre was satisfied that circumstances had arisen warranting relaxation of the restrictions imposed under the Tobacco Board Act in the public interest.

“The Central Government in the public interest hereby... permits the sale of excess flue cured virginia tobacco of the registered growers and unauthorised flue cured virginia tobacco of the unregistered growers at the auction platforms authorised by the Tobacco Board,” it added.

The relaxation specifically covers auctions during the 2025-26 crop season and permits the sale of the specified tobacco at authorised auction platforms of the Tobacco Board.

The move is expected to provide a regulated channel for the disposal of tobacco produced beyond permitted quantities as well as tobacco grown by unregistered growers.