Would you throw some light on the progress of the implementation of WHO FCTC, as per which India is committed to reduce tobacco crop size
The mandate of Tobacco Board as per the Tobacco Board Act 1975 is overall development of tobacco industry in India and one of the important functions of the Tobacco Board is to regulate production of FCV tobacco as per the demand and ensure fair and remunerative price to tobacco growers without wide fluctuations in the prices. Accordingly, the board decides the crop size of FCV tobacco, considering various factors like demand and supply situation in domestic and international markets, carryover stocks, trends in cigarette production and consumption.
As such any decision to regulate tobacco shall also coincide with safeguarding the interests of tobacco growers. Moreover, supply side provisions of WHO-FCTC and crop substitution cannot be implemented straightaway without providing alternative employment to thousands of farmers and farm labour dependent on tobacco cultivation. Alternative crops need to be identified and popularised among growers and financial packages to wean out tobacco growers are to be formulated and implemented.
During the last five years, what had been Tobacco Boards approach on discouraging farmers from growing tobacco
We have stopped registration of farmers wanting to take up tobacco crop. We have 1.6 lakh farmers registered with us and many are willing to surrender their permission to grow tobacco. Due to global surplus resulting in decline in the prices, we have reduced the crop size this year to 2.2 lakh hectare against 2.5 lakh hectare reported three years back.
The annual production of FCVs have reduced to 240 million kg this year from 300 million kgs in 2008.
Towards implementation of the provisions of FCTC, in order to prepare tobacco growers for the future scenario and to create awareness about alternative crops available for tobacco, the Tobacco Board, in collaboration with Central Tobacco Research Institute (CTRI), has been making efforts to develop alternative crops pattern.
No single crop is as remunerative as tobacco and the farmers have been advised to take up integrated farming system and integrated cropping system and cultivate various economically viable crops as recommended along with integrated agri-based industries like cattle rearing, sheep rearing, vermincompost, silk worm rearing, mushroom production, apiculture.
Has the global demand of tobacco shrunk because of reduction in the number of smokers
Overall demand has not shrunk. However, because of higher taxes more and more number of smokers are getting attracted to illegal and counterfeit products. Though the demand has not shrunk, people are moving towards cheaper sources of consumption. The overall crop size is static and the minor variations noticed in some countries are more because of climatic factors than due to the said trend.