India: Desperate Farmers Are Eager To Quit Tobacco Cultivation

‘But we are clueless with no economically viable alternative’. Farmers in the traditional tobacco-growing areas in Prakasam and Nellore districts very well know that there is no future as the signatories to the Framework Convention of Tobacco Control (FCTC) of the World Health Organisation (WHO) are committed to facilitating a reduction in tobacco cultivation in phases.

The farmers, both in the Southern Light Soil and Southern Black Soil regions in the two districts, are adversely affected by the ever-increasing cost of cultivation, poor precipitation, depletion of groundwater, low rates for the produce and increasing debt burden, and desperately want to quit cultivation altogether.

But they are clueless on doing so, having invested lakhs of rupees in tobacco barns, the primary leaf processing unit at the grass-roots level, and with no economically viable alternative.

‘The way out’
“We will be happy to move to alternative crops suggested by the agricultural scientists if only the Centre announces a decent compensation of ?10 lakh per barn,” said a group of farmers at Mangamoor village on the sidelines of a meeting organised by the Tobacco Board and Acharya N.G. Ranga Agriculture University (ANGRAU).

“We have been rendered captive growers, meeting the demands of domestic cigarette manufacturers and exporters. Tobacco cultivation is a gamble with the monsoon in the absence of assured irrigation,” explained M. Srinivasa Rao, a farmer.

“I have incurred a loss of ?2 lakh per barn as traders have purchased the low-grade varieties by offering just ?70 to ?80 per kg,” another farmer, Abhuri Shankar Rao, lamented.

The grade out-turn was very poor with the low-grade varieties accounting for a majority of the crop this year in view of prolonged dry spell, he added.

‘Alternative option’
Meanwhile, Tobacco Board chairman Y. Raghunadha Babu suggested to the farmers to switch over to alternative crops such as pulses and oilseed, at least in a part of their land holding to start with and fully in a phased manner, in view of the decreasing demand world-wide. “There is a niche market for minor millets, thanks to increasing awareness about their health benefits, to keep at bay lifestyle diseases,” he said.

“The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has, in principle, agreed to extend 40% subsidy to the farmers who switch over to solar barns,” Mr. Raghunadha Babu said, adding that the board mulled introduction of the same on a pilot basis during the next cropping season as energy cost accounted for about 30 to 35% of total production cost.

BJP Rajya Sabha member G.V.L. Narasimha Rao suggested that the farmers plant trees to compensate at least for fire wood used for curing.