Tobacco exports in Q1 touch Rs 314 cr

Tobacco exports from the country touched 39,345 tonne worth Rs 313.56 crore ($71.85 million) in the first quarter of the current fiscal. The exports include 35,030 tonne of unmanufactured tobacco (Rs 245.01 crore) and 4,315 tonne of tobacco products (Rs 68.55 crore), said P Dayachari, chairman, Tobacco Board.

"The board and the trade are striving to cross the last year's exports figure of Rs 1,362.18 crore (162,933 tonne) in 2005-06," he told Business Standard.

Auctions in Karnataka have entered the third week with about 4 million kg of the estimated 85.06 million kg auctioned so far at the 10 platforms of the board. Bidding has not yet picked up, he said. While the crop authorised for Karnataka farmers was 75.62 million kg, they are expected to reap for the present 10.56 million kg of unauthorised tobacco.

"The tobacco crop size has been fixed at 131.5 million kg for farmers of Andhra Pradesh for 2005-06. Farmers are still raising nurseries and carrying out transplantations. According to information from farmers of the northern light soils (NLS) in East Godavari district, 25 per cent of nurseries raised in 280 hectares has been washed out by the cyclone," Dayachari said.

In a move to advance auctions in Andhra Pradesh by two months and conduct the same in November, the board has taken up an experimental programme.

"Andhra farmers are under the impression that as auctions normally begin in January every year, they are discriminated against as auctions in Karnataka begin in September. To conduct the auctions in November, the board has asked the farmers of southern light soils (SLS) in Prakasam and Nellore districts to advance transplantations by two months in about 6,000 hectares," he said.

About 1,560 tobacco curing barns come under this programme. The board deputed its experts to guide farmers from plantation stage to harvest and pre and post curing stages.