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Tobacco farmers light up acreage despite govt frown 

Farmers in India have increased acreage under tobacco in tandem with a sharp spike in global tobacco prices, a move that flies in the face of official attempts to discourage cultivation of the leaf.

"Last year tobacco gave higher returns than other crops. I am expecting good returns this year also," said 55-year-old Siddegowda, a farmer from village Mookanahalli, near Hunsur, 200 km from Bangalore. . . .

Area under FCV this year is above 80,000 hectares in Karnataka, up from 75,000 hectares a year ago, said J Suresh Babu, chairman of the Tobacco Board, the government body that issue licences to farmers to cultivate FCV, mainly produced in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

Acreage is expected to go up in Andhra Pradesh, the other producer state, when farmers start cultivation from the end of September, Kotaiah said.

Overall country wide acreage under FCV has exceeded 200,000 hectares in 2007/08 from 135,453 hectares in 2001/02, Babu said.

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