The Tobacco Board has decided to cut the crop size this year. However, this would not be as demanded by the the Indian Tobacco Association (ITA), but ‘in tune with the global changes’.
The ITA had placed an indent of 120 million kg in Andhra Pradesh for the 2011-12 season, claiming that there was no demand for tobacco in the global market. While the permitted crop for 2010-11 was 170 million kg, farmers have grown around 210 million kg. The excess production had resulted in the traders bringing down the price to Rs 104 a kg, which led to protests by the growers, particularly in the southern light soils (SLS).
When the ITA had placed the indent for 120 million kg, the board held several rounds of talks with the former’s representatives and the growers to fix it at 150-160 million kg. However, the meetings did not help and it is expected that the board will clear the cloud and declare the size at its meeting scheduled for September 9.
This year, the board is willing to permit around 160 million kg for Andhra Pradesh. However, the board is also thinking on encouraging farmers to shift to other crops so as to bring down the tobacco production in the country, following the decline in the international demand for tobacco products.
The board had so far succeeded in convincing the farmers of Krishna district under the Keesara auction platform to shift to other crops. “We are happy that the farmers from the Keesara platform have agreed to stop growing tobacco in the central black soils,” said board chairman, G Kamalavardhana Rao.