India: Model Farm Projects to Improve Tobacco Yield

Source from:  Business Line (The Hindu) Hunsur (Mysore) 09/23/2004

Tobacco crop harvesting at Periapatna Taluk, in Mysore district of Karnataka. Bales have already started arriving at auction centres in Periapatna. — Parth Sanyal TOBACCO may be a demerit item now for the Union Government from the health point of view, but as a viable cash crop it contributes significantly to the livelihood of lakhs of farmers and their families, mainly in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. [img border=0 hspace="4" vspace="4" align="left" src=http://www.tobaccochina.com/english/picture/2004092001540701.jpg] The ILTD division of ITC Ltd is now spearheading a three-member core committee in Mysore, which has developed model farm projects to boost yield of export-quality Mysore tobacco. This agri-commodity, according to the farmers' bodies, has a brand equity in the international markets for quality neutral fillers. The other two members are the Central Tobacco Research Committee and the Tobacco Board. Tobacco, as a stable, drought-resistant sturdy crop, is now being nurtured carefully in Karnataka through a joint "Lab to Land" programme being taken up by the inter-institutional set-up (core committee). According to both agronomists and industry representatives, the stress now was on developing safer tobaccos, both genetically and through organic farming methods. In the transition zone of Karnataka, tobacco crop is cultivated in a total area of 6.5 lakh ha, and the average yield is pegged at 1,100 kg per ha. There are some 20-auction platforms in the area, with the big ones mainly in Periapatna (which accounts for 55 per cent of all tobacco produced in the State) and Hunsur taluks. Flue cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco, grown in a total area of over 70,000 ha, is the main cash crop under rain-fed conditions in the southern transition zone of Karnataka, extending from Mysore district (mainly Hunsur and Periapatna talks) in the south to Shimoga in the north. More than 70 per cent of the crop produced here is exported to countries such as the UK, Germany, Singapore, Algeria, Czechoslovakia, Russia and Bangladesh. Industry-academia collaboration has led to the introduction of tray nursery seedlings in the Mysore tobacco belt to help eliminate soil-borne diseases. According to Mr G. Krishna Kumar, Leaf Manager, ILTD, ITC Ltd, the committee has chalked out an ambitious programme to educate farmers on best practices for higher yield and better prices at auctions. The farmers are also being helped to get easy loans for building improved flue curing and storage facilities. Central Tobacco Research Institute (CTRI), in particular, has launched a programme through model farm projects to better educate tobacco farmers on organic tobacco cultivation, including soil protection and better post harvest product management. He said special focus was being given to scientific ways of curing the tobacco leaves, product storage and grading, not only to increase product integrity, but also enhance export competitiveness of Indian tobacco. Talking to Business Line here recently, Dr M.M. Shenoy, Heas and Principal Scientist, CTRI, Hunsur Station, said the KLS (Karnataka Light Soil) Flue Cured Virginia tobacco, commercially identified the world over as "Mysore style" is preferred in the world markets. Containing lower tar and below detectable limit TSN (tobacco-specific nitrosamines) levels, the leaf enjoys a brand equity among overseas buyers as a quality "neutral filler" tobacco, earning foreign exchange of over Rs 200 crore per annum. He clarified that organic manures can bring down nicotine and TSN levels in Indian tobacco. He said CTRI's new thrust was on growing of "green manure crops", through increasing use of vermi-compost and to enhance product integrity and improve its commercial value. CTRI now releases zone-specific seedling varieties, fully tested in terms of quality and chemistry, and matched with rainfall patterns, he added. "We strongly recommend a healthy eco-friendly non-chemical approach, and provide the entire agronomic package, variety specific and zone specific, and also teach modern cultivation practices to farmers for better yield and productivity." On switch over to tray nurseries, Dr Shenoy said six lakh trays have already been distributed to tobacco farmers, along with coir peat medium, covering an area of 3,000 ha. Enditem