More Andhra farmers turning to tobacco

Farmers in the Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh, India, are gearing up for a major shift from chickpea to flue-cured tobacco production, according to a story in the latest issue of the BBM Bommidala Group newsletter.

Such a shift, it is said, would nullify recent efforts to restrict flue-cured growing.

Tobacco sowing in the district could go up by 30,000 to 40,000 acres and production by 40 percent; so that production could cross the 100 million kg mark in Prakasam during the coming season.

The Indian Tobacco Association has projected the Andhra crop requirement at 175 million kg for 2014.