Severe drought has gripped Prakasam district, the traditional tobacco growing region in the State, for the fifth consecutive year.
But this is no hindrance for the tobacco growers, who have adopted water conservation methods, to grow the principal commercial crop at any cost.
And this is despite the market prices of other crops, including bengal gram, the other main commercial crop grown in the district during rabi, ruling below the minimum support price (MSP) announced by the Centre during the last cropping season. The tobacco growers had earned decent returns last year too despite cultivating the crop under similar climatic conditions.
They have started cultivation with the hope that the weakening rupee may help them get a better price for their produce as the multi-national cigarette manufacturers roughly use about 5% of Virginia tobacco produced in the country in their cigarette blends.
A majority of the growers had burnt their fingers growing export quality bengal gram last rabi in the wake of alleged indiscriminate import of the pulse crop from abroad to meet the bilateral trade obligations, especially with some African countries.
Now, they have switched over to tobacco hoping to make good the losses.
The average rainfall has been a mere 258 mm since June this year, far below the decennial average of 522 mm, according to the weather officials here.
“We are hoping against hope for the sky to open up during the northwest monsoon for the seedlings, raised by watering the plants by pressing tankers during October, to survive,” says a group of worried farmers replanting the withered plants at Chekurupadu village of N.G. Padu mandal.
Prolonged dry spell
“The prolonged dry spell is taking a heavy toll on the plants, requiring replanting of up to 50% of the seedlings with the day temperature going up to 36 degree C even in the month of October,” explains a farmer, V.V. Prasad while trying to save the tender plants by pressing into service tankers by incurring an additional ₹10,000 per acre. In the absence of rains and depleting ground water table, farmers, who have raised seedlings, have been pushed to the brink.
“Even if we save the planted seedlings, the quality of crop will be hit because of increase in salanity,” laments another farmer, G. Subba Rao. A crop size of 86 million kg has been fixed in the SBS and SLS regions for rabi by the Tobacco Board. The extent of crop this season may fall drastically if the dry spell continues, Indian Tobacco Association (ITA) sources here fear.
Barn rent
Tobacco barn rent, which went up to an astronomical ₹1 lakh per barn, has come down to about ₹50,000 per barn following prolonged dry spell. Rent per acre, which ruled over ₹30,000 per acre, has come down to about ₹24,000 in view of the unfavourable climatic condition, adds another farmer, P. Venkateswarlu.
