India Proposes Reducing Flue-Cured Supply

Source from:  Tobacco Reporter 12/18/2008

Dec 17, 2008-The Tobacco Board of India is seeking Rs1.25 billion to fund a program of switching flue-cured tobacco growers to other crops, according to a Tobacco China Online report quoting Rediff.com. India has 96,865 registered flue-cured tobacco farmers and the Board, which is responsible only for flue-cured growers, is aiming to shift at least 50,000 of them to other crops by 2020. The Board's proposal will have to be approved by the Commerce Ministry, under which it operates, before being sent to the Finance Ministry for funds. The report said that India was required to reduce tobacco supply by 50 per cent within 10-15 years under its obligations as a signatory to the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. No plans were mentioned in respect of reducing the supply of the other tobacco types produced by India. Enditem