The year 2021 had begun on an optimistic note for the tobacco growers in south coastal Andhra Pradesh, as the markets hit by the COVID-induced economic crisis the previous year bounced back.
The farmers in the traditional tobacco growing areas in Prakasam and Nellore districts received a remunerative price, thanks to the favourable grade mix.
The bright grade accounted for the lion’s share of the crop when compared to the previous year, when the grade out-turn was poor with a majority of the crop being low grade, spurring the State government to intervene through the Markfed to create market buoyancy.
Better price
As a result, the farmers could get a better than average price for the main commercial crop during the e-auctions held in the Southern Light Soil (SLS) and the Southern Black Soil (SBS) regions.
The farmers in the two districts got an average price of ₹140 per kg for the 72 million kg marketed during 2021 against ₹116 per kg realised for the 84 million kg sold during the previous year, Tobacco Board sources said.
The partial curfew imposed to combat COVID-19 coinciding with the peak marketing season gave anxious moments to the farmers, as the commodity regulator staff as well as the labourers contracted the virus that resulted in truncated e-auctions.
Enthused by the better than average returns when the auctions were completed in August / September, the farmers began cultivation of the rabi crop in right earnest in October itself.
But the recurrent weather systems that developed in the Bay of Bengal in November / December put paid to the hopes of the farmers as they suffered losses in the early phase of cultivation.
Replantation
However, the never-say-die-spirited farmers went for gap filling and re-plantation, incurring additional cost of ₹10,000 to ₹15,000 per acre, as the incessant rains destroyed the crops in about 25% of the planted area.
The crop coverage was only 30,283 hectares so far against the crop size of 49,602 hectares fixed by the crop regulator.
Hoping against hope for the dry spell to prevail in December, they expect to complete transplantation of seedlings in full extent, said a group of farmers led by V.V. Prasad from Chekurpadu village.
