Announcing assistance of Rs 20 per kg for the procurement of 94 million kg of tobacco, he cautioned that “negative statements” could hurt farmers’ interests. “Despite financial constraints, we persuaded the Centre to jointly extend assistance of Rs 20 per kg to tobacco growers. He said FCV tobacco growers were facing difficulties due to global conflicts, cheaper tobacco from countries such as Brazil and Tanzania, and prevailing conditions in the international market. The state government was coordinating with the Centre while urging tobacco companies and traders to procure tobacco from growers, he added. Recalling earlier interventions, the minister said the TDP government had extended Rs 20 per kg assistance when FCV tobacco prices crashed in 2014-15.