Notwithstanding the future of raising flue-cured Virginia tobacco following concerns expressed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and government’s efforts to discourage them, majority of farmers in the tobacco growing districts of the State, barring Guntur, are unwilling to leave the ‘lucrative option’ and go in for alternative crops.
Farmers in West Godavari and Prakasam districts are unwilling to shift to alternative crops like black pepper, sugarcane, oil palm and maize as suggested by the Rajahmundry-based Central Tobacco Research Institute. After becoming signatory to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the first international treaty adopted by the WHO in 2003 on controlling ‘tobacco epidemic’, the Union Health Ministry proposed to discourage tobacco cultivation by promoting alternative crops in the tobacco growing areas, with the stated objective of ‘saving at least four million lives’.
Yet the response to alternative crops has been lukewarm. According to Gadde Seshagiri Rao, spokesman of West Godavari District NLS Area Tobacco Growers Welfare Association, none of the alternative crops advised by the CTRI was feasible in the NLS area in terms of economic viability, climatic conditions. The Centre should, instead, work on reining in non-FCV tobacco consumption such as tobacco chewing and beedis under its regulation. “Any hasty decision would displace over one lakh farming families living on tobacco cultivation in the country,” he said.
The situation is no different in Prakasam where farmers’ underwent severe hardship after opting for bengal gram cultivation, 22 lakh quintals of which is still lying in cold storages for want of buyers. Tenant Farmers Association State general secretary N. Ranga Rao said that undeterred by hefty penalty of 15 per cent on the unauthorised crop, farmers here produced close to 34 million kg over the permissible crop size of 104 million kg.
Farmers realised a relatively better price of Rs. 112 a kg, marketing 131.44 million kg so far. “They have no other option but to go for tobacco this year too as the price of bengal gram touched a low of Rs. 2,800 a quintal,” he said, asserting that loan waiver as and when implemented would leave enough cash with farmers to go for tobacco crop in more area this year.
The situation is a shade better in Guntur where farmers have shown the way by switching over to other commercial crops like chilli and cotton. The district hitherto was lifeline for tobacco growers fetching them higher returns riding on the huge global demand for quality leaf and strong seed-to-sale culture built in by the Tobacco Board.
But the spirited anti-tobacco campaign and global pressure on India to implement the provisions of WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control forced the government to make tobacco growers to look for alternative crops. The Tobacco Board has been proactive in regulating the crop size. “We are ensuring that there is a strict control on regulating the crop size (172 million kg for 2014-2015) and promoting reduction of Tobacco acreage,” Tobacco Board Chairman Koothati Gopal told The Hindu .
Apparently switching over to alternative crops would need a systematic approach and careful planning . If poorly executed, it could result in penury of farmers, say experts. Clearly, tobacco growers are caught in a dilemma whether to grow crops that fetch assured returns but has no future or alternative crops with lot of risks.
