Mysuru: The weak southwest monsoon has adversely affected the sowing of key food crops in the district, particularly paddy and finger millet (ragi).Amid a price crash in the previous season, tobacco has emerged as the most extensively cultivated crop this monsoon after maize. Experts said that despite below-normal rainfall in tobacco-growing regions, farmers have continued to cultivate the crop over large areas. Maize, meanwhile, has remained a preferred choice due to stable market prices and lower water requirements.According to agriculture department data, tobacco cultivation has achieved 97.8% of its sowing target. Of the targeted 63,500 hectares, sowing has been completed in 62,130 hectares, the highest among all crops in the district.Similarly, maize cultivation has reached 98.4% of its target, with sowing completed in 48,725 hectares out of the targeted 49,523 hectares. In contrast, paddy and pearl millet have been the worst affected, with virtually no sowing reported across the district due to inadequate rainfall.“The decline in ragi and paddy cultivation could lead to a rise in prices. The govt must take note of the situation,” farmers said.Badagalapura Nagendra, president of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha, said maize is a rainfed crop that requires comparatively less water. “Prices are also favourable and the crop demands less labour. That is why farmers are preferring maize,” he said.According to official sources, the cost of producing tobacco is around Rs 180 per kg. Farmers can earn a profit if they secure an average price of Rs 220 to Rs 250 per kg.S Ramakrishnan, principal scientist and head of ICAR-Central Tobacco Research Institute, Hunsur, said tobacco is currently the most suitable crop for farmers in K R Nagar, Hunsur, Periyapatna, H D Kote and Ramanathapura in Hassan district. “Although potash deficiency has been observed in some fields, the crop is very good,” he said.Ramakrishnan said Karnataka-grown tobacco enjoys strong demand in international markets due to factors such as negligible pesticide residues and natural cultivation practices. “As a result, it is widely used as filler tobacco in cigarette manufacturing,” he said.“The tobacco grown in Karnataka has huge demand in the foreign countries for various reasons including no trace of nil pesticide residues, natural growth, etc. So, it is used extensively as the filler in cigarettes,” he said.
