India: Tobacco Production May Decline in Rabi

Source from:  The Hindu 12/14/2015

Tobacco production in the drought-prone Prakasam district may see a decline this rabi season, with majority of the growers shying away from the principal commercial crop after suffering huge losses last season owing to lack of buyers for their produce.

Tobacco production may not reach even the truncated crop size of 79.7 million kg fixed for southern light soil (SLS) and southern black soil (SBS) areas this season, say sources in the Indian Tobacco Association. Last season, many tobacco farmers, after investing heavily, had failed to break-even as their produces were either rejected or offered meagre prices at auction platforms. Further the recent heavy rains were proved detrimental for the crop in SLS region, affecting re-plantation and gap filling operations. Late rains had also delayed tobacco cultivation in SBS region by a month.

The two regions had produced around 125 million kg of tobacco last year. But, the same might come down to 75 million kg this year, ITA sources added. Farmers in SLS region had cultivated tobacco in 15,790 ha so far as against the authorised acreage of 25,367 ha, while their counterparts in SBS region had sown the crop in 16,000 ha as against the authorised acreage of 20,000 ha, suggest Tobacco Board sources. Farmers, who had got more medium and low grade tobacco last year, are optimistic that the grade out-turn may be better this time with more bright grade varieties, going by the first curing done in 12 barns in Lakshmipuram C.Agraharam villages and this may compensate for the losses. However, with the uncertainty prevailing in the market and price of the profduce, Virginia Tobacco Growers Welfare Association president Ch. Seshaiah advised the farmers not to go for an excess crop belatedly to offset the losses.

Former Tobacco Board member Ch. Ranga Rao said farmers should rather go for remunerative pulse crops such as green gram, black gram and bengal gram in view of the better support price announced by the Centre and State governments. Meanwhile, farmers in SLS region, whose 250 tobacco barns were destroyed in rains, urged the Centre to provide them compensation. Enditem