Tobacco Growers in Karnataka Eye Higher Yields

Source from:  Thursday, 06 September , 2007, 08:40  09/12/2007

Kolkata: Even as speculation is rife over higher average price realisation for the export quality crop in the forthcoming Mysore Tobacco Auctions, farmers in Hunsur and Periapatna taluks in Karnataka are pursuing improved farm practices, both in terms of organic cultivation and post-harvest curing, grading and baling. Under a model village development programme taken up by the Indian Leaf Tobacco Development (ILTD) Division of ITC Ltd, with support from the Tobacco Board and CTRI, Hunsur (covering some 52 villages), tobaccofarmers are trying to touch the higher (per hectare) average yield of 1,800-2,000 kg from 1,200-1,300 kg per ha. Talking to Business Line at a model farm owned by Nagarajappa, a young farmer in Ugonahalli village in Hunsur taluk , R.Rajasekhar, Leaf Buying Manager, ITC-ILTD, said a 300 kg per acre jump in yield had been achieved through improved farming methods. The average is said to be 900 kg of leaf per acre. Describing people such as Nagarajappa as the modern change agents in Indian farming, Rajasekhar said despite steep rise in input costs (for coffee husk as alternative fuel for firing the barns against fuel wood), the farmer had chosen to adopt best practices, reaping the benefit at harvest time. Higher yields were achieved using the CMS variety developed by ILTD scientists. The per barn fertiliser cost is put at around Rs 7,000. The labour component, involving the transplantation/planting upto to the harvesting and loading into the barns is put at around Rs 2,000 per barn. The Core Committee comprising scientists and field officers of CTRI, ILTD and the Tobacco Board have injected fertiliser use efficiency in farmers like Nagarajappa, spread over some 35 locations in Hunsur and Periapatna talks. Concept of tray seedlings has been introduced in a big way, and a novel bullock-driven fertiliser drill (for row application has also been introduced in the area, paving the way for higher yield in tobacco. According to L.Anand, President of Karnataka Tobacco Growers Forum, even as the Government is not able to provide assured jobs through their employment guarantee programmes, tobacco can create assured employment to farm labourers with more than minimum wages. Explaining why tobacco in both Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh are attractive for farmers compared to other cash crops, he said: here we can even legally transfer our right (barn licence transfer) to another farmer for use of the barns? He said this was one crop which still had excellent? infrastructure facilities, and full backing of the financial services sector, as there was no such thing as a total loss here. hero defaults by tobacco farmers in loan repayments makes the banks pursue us for availing loans.? On the rising coffee husk prices (the husk, a waste product from coffee is used for briquette manufacture) he said the price had shot up from Rs 1,200-1,300 per tonne in 2004 to Rs 3,100-Rs 3,200 a tonne in February-March this year. Enditem