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Ch.R.S. Sarma

Visakhapatnam , Aug. 28

WHITE burley tobacco plantation is going on currently in the agency areas (tribal tracts) of Visakhapatnam and East Godavari districts and it may be completed in a week or ten days.

Till now, plantation has been completed in 18,000 acres and it is expected that 2,000 acres may be brought under burley cultivation, according to Mr M. Someswara Rao, the Chief Agronomist of Maddi Lakshmaiah group, the Guntur-based tobacco exporter, who buys the crop from the tribal farmers.

Mr Someswara Rao says the weather is favourable for burley cultivation and tribal farmers in the Koyyuru, Golugonda, Nathavaram, Kotauratla and Narsipatnam mandals of Visakhapatnam district and those of Jaggampeta, Gokavaram, Yeleswaram, Rajavommangi, Addateegala and Y. Ramavaram mandals in East Godavari district are engaged in the cultivation.

The production may touch 7-8 million kg this season and the recent rains have enthused the farmers. "White burley cultivation is of great help to tribal farmers and at present ours is the only major company active in these parts encouraging the farmers to grow the crop. Burely cultivation, which used to be of the order of 14-15 million kg in 1991, has declined during the past 10-12 years in the two districts as ITC and other tobacco majors have withdrawn from the field. It is picking up now," he says.

The reason for the decline, according to the expert, is that DDT was being used extensively in the area to control the mosquitoes in the past and due to the DDT residues the burley tobacco from the area lost out in the international market and the major companies such as the ITC quit the field.

"But of late DDT has gone out of use and gradually the burley tobacco from the area is gaining acceptance again. Its high filling value and pliability are the major plus factors for the crop grown in the area," he said.

Burley tobacco is used in blended cigarettes and "now the market, especially in the US, is for blended cigarettes and not for straight ones. Therefore, the outlook for burley tobacco is good".

He estimates that there is potential to grow and export nearly 20-25 million kg of the crop in the two districts, which would help the tribal farmers a great deal.

The crop is of three to four months duration and the marketing starts from the middle of November. The bulk of the crop is bought and exported by Maddi Lakshmaiah group.

Burley cultivation is not regulated and it does not come under the purview of the Tobacco Board, Guntur. The board regulates virginia tobacco cultivation.

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