Tobacco in Indian Economy
Recently Andhra Pradesh State Cooperative Marketing Federation Limited (A.P. MARKFED) has exported 120 tons of tobacco to the United States.
This is the first time that tobacco has been exported to the US by the Government of Andhra Pradesh.
Farmers in the state are facing shortage of buyers for low quality varieties. For this reason, exports have been resorted to to overcome this problem of farmers.
Tobacco cultivation in India-
- Tobacco is cultivated in an area of about 5 lakh hectares in the country. Globally, it accounts for 9% of total tobacco production.
- India is the second largest producer of tobacco in the world after China.
- India is also the second largest tobacco exporter in the world after Brazil.
Climatic Conditions for Tobacco Cultivation:
- Basically tobacco is a semi-tropical crop. But it can also be successfully grown in tropical region.
- Its crop requires a frost free climate and an average temperature of 80°F for 100 to 120 days for growth.
- Well distributed rainfall is needed between 88 to 125 mm per month. Tobacco cannot tolerate strong wind and storm during crop growth.
- Light to medium loamy soil is required for its cultivation. This soil is low in humus and high in potash, phosphoric acid and iron.
The major tobacco producing states are: Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka etc.
Its governing body is the Tobacco Board. The headquarter of the board is in Andhra Pradesh. This board acts as a facilitator for tobacco growers, traders and exporters. This board is under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Source – The Hindu
