Delay in sowing may affect tobacco yield in Andhra

Tobacco board has reduced crop size for 2015-16 season to 120 million kg from last season's 170 million

Delayed sowing is likely to hit tobacco yields in Andhra Pradesh. Normally, growers go in for sowing in the second half of October but this season, there is a delay of more than one month because of the drought in September and October. To make matter worse, the drought was followed by heavy rain in November.

"This is not a good sign for growers and will affect the yield," says an official in the Tobacco Board. The weatherman has predicted rain in December and January, compounding their woes, he says. The board has reduced the acreage by 43 per cent to 60,000 hectares (ha) this season from last year's 105,000 ha. So far this year, farmers have sowed on 50,000 ha.

 

The board has reduced the crop size for the 2015-16 season to 120 million kg from last season's 170 million. Though 44,280 growers have registered with the board, not all may take up tobacco cultivation, says the official. Last season, 45,000 farmers grew tobacco.

Farmers faced many difficulties such as low prices and cash crunch last year. Growers in the southern black soil (SBS) and southern light soil (SLS) regions are not keen on tobacco farming because of the loss they had to incur in the last season. The farmers of these two regions, especially in the Politi area of Prakasam district, have reduced their acreage.

"They have cut back the maximum. From producing 20 million kg every year they may not produce even 9 million kg this year and have gone for alternative crops such as red gram and other pulses," he says. Moreover, abnormal weather is likely to impact the quality this time, too.

The official says growers in the SLS region will be affected the most. Those in the SBS region may recover the loss as sowing takes place in December also. SLS is found in Prakasam and Nellore districts while SBS is present in Prakasam and Nellore districts nearer to the coast.

At the auctions that concluded on November 2, 190.05 million kg was sold as against the target of 172 million kg and an estimated production of 193.27 million kg. The average price realised was Rs. 93.07 per kg.

The 2014-15 AP auctions prolonged up to November because of subdued demand and production of more low grade tobacco due to abnormal weather conditions and outbreak of tobacco root parasite 'Orabanche'.