The Tobacco Institute of India (TII) held the 21st edition of the Tobacco Farmers' Awards on Thursday to honour innovative farmers who have proven the benefits of modern agricultural methods that have resulted in increased output.
Mysuru MP Prathap Simha, Hunsur MLA H.P. Manjunath, and Periyapatna MLA K. Mahadeva were among those who attended the awards event.
During the occasion, ten tobacco farmers from Karnataka were honoured in two categories: 'Best Farmer' and 'Recognition.' The best farmer awards went to Channabasappa of Motha village, Kuchele Gowda of Seerenahalli, H.M. Paramesha of Hadlapura, Raghu of Kothavally Koppal, Suresh K.T. of Kottegala, and S.V. Yoganna of Seebally. In the recognition category, Deva Naika from Gowdagere, M.N. Ramachandra from M.P. Koppal, Aslam Pasha from Halaganahalli, and Ramakrishna from Lakkikuppe got awards.
Tobacco is an important commercial crop in India, according to Sharad Tandan, Director of TII, providing agricultural employment, farm revenue, and foreign exchange earnings. India is the second largest tobacco grower in the world and a major exporter.
According to an ASSOCHAM research, the tobacco sector contributes roughly 12 lakh crore to the economy, according to a note from TII.
Few months back, it was announced that in this season, tobacco will obtain a higher price on auction platforms across Karnataka. The average price for the estimated 5 million kg of tobacco auctioned so far since the markets opened on September 24, the average price has been 154 per kg, compared to 119 per kg during last year's auction season.
Despite the fact that the crop size for the year has been set at 97 million kg, sources in the tobacco business expect a deficit of around 20 million kg this year due to less-than-ideal rainfall.
Tobacco producers in Mysuru are anticipating prices to rise for the first time in four years. According to Tobacco Board sources, the average price of tobacco has been declining over the previous three years. It fell from 136 in 2018-19 to Rs.124 in 2019-20 before rising to Rs.119.87 in 2020-21.
