Andhra Pradesh's tobacco-auction recovery was uneven in the figures reported by Agriculture Minister K. Atchannaidu on September 6, 2026: more lots were attracting buyers, but the average price remained well below the previous year's comparison.
Akashvani reported a season-to-date average of Rs 209.83 per kilogram through September 4, against Rs 248.86 a year earlier. The difference is Rs 39.03, or approximately 15.7%, calculated from those reported averages.
Those are auction averages, not a measure of every grower's income. Without grade-level sales, production costs and comparable crop composition, they cannot establish a uniform fall in individual farm earnings.
The minister attributed price pressure to surplus production and said bidding had improved. That describes two different market conditions: finding a buyer and obtaining a higher price. Reduced no-bid lots address the first, but do not demonstrate that the second has recovered.
The September figures should remain a dated snapshot. They are not final-season prices or an October market quotation.
