India: Future Belongs To Organic Tobacco

Source from:  The Hindu 01/04/2019

As one motored down the Mangamoor Road, farms in the traditional tobacco growing area in Prakasam district showed signs of severe moisture stress as the drought-prone area did not receive sufficient rain this year as well.

But the one farm that looked healthy was that of a progressive farmer, V.V. Prasad, who had taken to cow-based natural farming to protect soil health, cut costs on farm inputs and get highest rate for his produce.

Bio-fertilizer
So is the farm of P. Krishnaiah, who revived the traditional practice of preparing decoction from locally available leaves, that included neem and crown flower, for plant protection.

His farm also exhibited less moisture stress when compared to other farms grown by using synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

“If we get a couple of wet spells in the next fortnight or so, we can get good returns this year,” Mr. Prasad hoped, even as he was busy setting up pheromone traps and placing coloured pots to curb pest menace in his farm, where cow dung and urine form the main components for preparation of bio-fertilizer and pesticides.

Showing the jowar crop grown on the farm bund and marigold in the adjacent plot, he explained: “They will keep the pests at bay.”

“There has been no follow-up rains after the light to moderate rain brought by Phethai cyclone,” said a worried, yet another organic farmer, B. Ramanjaneyulu while pleading for early release of the Krishna water from the Nagarjunasagar reservoir for them to save their crops.

Premium price
“We have been promised by the traders a premium price for organically-produced tobacco this year,” Mr. Prasad said in a conversation with The Hindu.

“There is no option for farmers but to switch to natural farming by 2020 as the importing countries are very particular in procuring tobacco produced under Sustainable Tobacco Programme (STP),” said Tobacco Board Manager (Extension) Ch.V. Maruthi Prasad.

Only the crop produced with organic fertilizers would have market in the future, he said.

One farm each in all the auction platforms had been selected to produce organic tobacco on a pilot basis.

“We will ask other farmers to follow suit as the future belongs to only organic tobacco,” he added.

The tobacco industry looked for production of tobacco free from pesticide residue and non-tobacco related material (ntrm) to avoid rejection by exporters, said Indian Tobacco Association sources.  Enditem