Tobacco Growers Join Crop Holiday Campaign in Andhra Pradesh

Source from:  UNI 08/29/2011

Khammam, AP, Aug 26:The new disease of 'crop holiday' is appearing to take a contagion form with tobacco growers joining the paddy farmers of the West Godavari district. Farmers in at least nine districts of Andhra pradesh have declared a crop holiday this year especially in the delta region of West Godavari. At least in nine districts, farmers have threatened to resort to crop holiday, which the scientists at the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) have stated would be disastrous. Andhra Pradesh is a major tobacco farming state in the country and farmers have lamented that they had to resort to this extreme decision for multiple reasons, including lack of government support besides crop damage and increasing labour costs. In this district, tobacco is mainly grown in Ashwarapet, Dammupeta and its surrounding areas. The produce is auctioned at Jangareddy Gudem Tobacco Auction Centre in West Godavari district. Farmers said last year, a large area was brought under tobacco cultivation, but series of natural calamities between November 2010 and January 2011 severely affected the crop. The farmers alleged that the state government had failed to take adequate measures either in giving an assurance or providing a remunerative support price to farmers. "We are left with no alternative but to observe crop holiday this year," a farmer in Ashwaraopet said. Enditem