Karnataka will start auctioning its flue-cured Virginia tobacco crop in October 2022, the Tobacco Board of India announced.
The board expects a crop of approximately 64 million kg of good quality with a comparatively high share of bright grades.
In a letter to customers, the Tobacco Board said it is promoting various sustainable tobacco production practices, including the promotion of integrated pest management, natural farming practices, NTRM-free tobacco production, fuel conservation measures and tree planting programs to ensure product integrity and compliance with buyer requirements.
The Tobacco Board urged leaf buyers to communicate their requirements well in advance.
“I would request you to plan your requirements for the 2022–23 Karnataka crop well in advance for timely liquidation of the produce and early conclusion of auction sales, thereby avoiding leaf quality deterioration as well as weight loss, which could be beneficial to the farmers as well as the traders,” wrote Tobacco Board Executive Director A. Sridhar Babu.