Industry Makes Efforts to Raise Tobacco Productivity

Source from:  Business Standard (in) 03/18/2010

Efforts are on to create awareness among tobacco growers on scientific methods of cultivation to increase its yield in the four major tobacco-growing regions of Karnataka - Periyapatna, Hunsur and H D Kote taluks in Mysore district and Arakalagud taluk in Hassan district. According to agricultural scientist Vasanth Thimakapura, who launched the awareness campaign through his "Negilayogi Samaja Seva Trust" organisation, tobacco is grown on 110,000 hectares in these four taluks presently. If tobacco growers adopt a scientific method, the area under tobacco can be reduced to at least 75,000 hectares for the same produce. The rest of the 35,000 hectares can go back for food crop cultivation. "By adopting scientific methods, yield potential can be over 1,000 kg per acre. But Karnataka's average tobacco yield is less than 500 kgs. Our aim is to see it reach at least 700-800 kg an acre. Tobacco, a rain-fed commercial crop, is mainly grown for exports, at the cost of food crops. Farmers can produce more and earn more money as well from a lesser area," he told Business Standard. By taking to proper methods of cultivation, he said unnecessary expansion of area under tobacco can be avoided. Over time, cultivation can be cut to the quota fixed by the Tobacco Board and revenue yielding food crops can be taken up. The farmers can take up horticulture crops as there is demand for vegetables and fruits, particularly in these taluks. Technology for scientific adoption was available. Low cost, high quality seedlings, good crop methodology, proper application of fertiliser, disease control and raising a good nursery can help increase tobacco production on a limited area. But a large number of growers were unaware of these scientific methods. They had expanded tobacco cultivation at the cost of food crops. This had resulted in substandard tobacco quality, expansion of cultivated area beyond the limit prescribed by the Tobacco Board and gradual disappearance of food crops, Thimakapur said. As part of its campaign to take scientific methods to farmers, the Negilayogi Trust conducted an awareness programme for cultivators of Arakalagud taluk at Ramanathapura recently. Farm experts interacted with tobacco growers for over three hours showing slides at the programme, organised in association with the Potato Club of Hassan and attended by around 200 farmers. Farmers realised the mistakes they have been committing and how they were wasting their money. They were told how to reduce their losses, he added. "This is the right time to spread awareness among growers as they are engaged in raising nurseries," the Mysore-based farm scientist added. Enditem