The Hindu Business Line : Scientists try to perfect new ways of tobacco cultivation

Mysore, Sept. 5 Even as the traditional tobacco farmers of Mysore and Andhra Pradesh are today caught between mounting costs of cultivation and search for alternative fuels’ (for curing purpose), the scientific community is set to throw the biggest challenge to the progressive Indian tobacco farmer: How to gradually decrease the area under tobacco cultivation, and still maintain higher productivity in terms of yield per hectare?

In the midst of a raging debate on finding an alternative to the commercially solid tobacco crop, without disturbing the livelihood options of millions of tobacco farmers, scientists at the Central Tobacco Research Institute research station in Hunsur, Mysore district, under the leadership of Dr M.M. Shenoy, Principal Scientist, and Head, are now trying to perfect a model 5-acre organic farm (in a 120-acre plot meant for seeds production) at nearby Sollepura where one can grow not only organic tobacco but also other crops such as hybrid cotton, jatropha, chillies, red gram and fodder grass and horticultural items such as organic papaya, sapota, pomegranate and tamarind, besides engaging in dairy farming.

It is learnt that nearly a 100 Karnataka farmers have shown positive interest in the experimental organic farm project, which can succeed only through a participatory approach.

Productivity levels

Talking to Business Line at Hunsur on the dream experimental project, Dr Shenoy said while the area under tobacco decreases, it would be possible to maintain current productivity levels of over 90 million kg of export quality tobacco in Mysore through better soil and integrated nutrient management.

Asked whether farmer returns will shrink as a consequence, the scientist quipped: “On the contrary, additional profits can result for the farmer through diversion and rotation of other crops in the area available side by side with tobacco.” Some 16 horticulture crops can be grown during both rabi and kharif seasons through inter-cropping method, he added.

Admitting that phasing out of tobacco production cannot but be a slow process, Dr Shenoy said phasing out of the area under the crop would be a good way to begin.

A team of scientists at CTRI is now totally focused on this three-year model 5-acre farm project, which may throw up a viable alternative to tobacco at a not too distant future.

Farm model

Dr Shenoy said an integrated 1-acre farm model has been developed in-house at Hunsur Research Station for converting the FCV tobacco producing field into a multi-cropping farm land (for at least 5 to 6 food as well as commercial crops, along with pulses, castor coupled with silvy-pastural systems and horticulture, besides planting trees like teak, eucalyptus, and fuel wood for enriching the biomass.

Describing this as a holistic approach to agriculture, he said ensuring additional economic benefits to the farmer was the principal aim. Labelling it as the way forward for “sustainable agriculture”, he said fund support for the 5-acre experimental model farm has come from the Regional Centre for Organic Farming, Bangalore (under the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India).