“Show us an alternative commercial crop and we will slowly stop producing tobacco,” is the plaintive refrain that an estimated one-lakh tobacco farmers in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and parts of Telangana have to say, to the Government of India.
Over the decades, those dependent on tobacco and allied industries for a livelihood number about 4.5 crore in the country, according to the Vice-Chairman of the Tobacco Board G. Seshagiri Rao. “Over a period of time, tobacco has taken us on the growth path, given farmers and others a livelihood. If farmers have to stop cultivating tobacco, they need to be shown a viable, alternative crop,” says Mr. Rao, who is a farmer himself. “Usually, I raise tobacco on 42 acres, but the last season, I used only 30 acres because already there is a huge pile-up of FCV (Flue Cured Virginia) tobacco due to fluctuating buying by domestic manufacturers and poor demand from global buyers. There is an estimated Rs. 1,200 crore worth of unsold tobacco crop in these states alone with farmers having a whopping Rs. 700 crore of bank loans to repay,” he says. Read More>
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