Indonesian tobacco growers farming on the slopes of Mount Merapi and Mount Merbabu in Boyolali, Central Java, have suffered financial losses running into hundreds of millions of rupiah because no cigarette manufacturers were willing to buy their crops, according to a story in The Jakarta Post..
Cigarette manufacturers refused to buy the tobacco because it was of poor quality; so, fearing that no one would buy the crops, several farmers chose to sell to individuals at lower prices.
Last year, growers sold their tobacco for Rp60,000 (US$4.62) a kg. In respect of the recent harvest, they sold the tobacco for Rp17,000 per kg.
“Several big cigarette companies rejected the tobacco leaves, saying they were of bad quality due to the high water content,” Siswoyo, 53, a farmer, said.
While several farmers chose to sell at low prices, some other farmers decided to store their tobacco at home and await higher prices.