The Tobacco Board of India has asked farmers to refrain from growing more than the authorized crop among indications that tobacco production might reach 100 million kg in the Prakasam and Nellore districts, reports The Hindu.
Board chairman Y. Raghunatha Babu said that the farmers, in their own interest, should restrict themselves to growing the crop in the permitted acreage so that they could take advantage of the supply and demand situation at the time of marketing.
“Overenthusiasm now will mean that they will have to burn their fingers at the time of marketing and paying penalty for the excess crop,” he cautioned.
Regulators have authorized a crop of 86 million kg for the upcoming growing season.