Tobacco

Conditions  of Growth	Tobacco can thrive either in a tropical or a sub-tropical climate.
	Climate has to be well balanced. The plant cannot withstand too much of cold or too much of heat.
	Right from the point of sowing until the crop is harvested, tobacco needs rainfall to the extent of 50 – 75 cms.
Regions	Tobacco is widely grown across the states of India including Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
Additional Info	India holds the fourth rank amidst the countries using tobacco, and tobacco is used in the form of cigarettes, bidis, cheroots and for chewing in India.
Production/ Trade	India is the fifth largest exporter of Tobacco amidst world countries, and major countries include Russia, UK, Japan and the Arab countries.

There are many varied theories that are associated with the cultivation of tobacco. While one group of theorists believes that this is good to be cultivated for export, there are other groups of people who believe that the cultivation should be banned as this gives easy access to youngsters to the drug. In spite of all these, tobacco is being cultivated in India across the country and the tobacco produced also forms an important chunk of its exports, thereby leading to increased forex flow into the country.

Tobacco Production in India

Tobacco production in India has been overall good, because the climate down south is ideal for tobacco production. Tobacco plants cannot take too much of cold, therefore the northern Himalayan ranges are not ideal. The government of India has set up research councils to increase the production of Tobacco as this is an important means of revenue for the country through exports. The research centers promoting the growth of tobacco and looking at innovative ways to increase the yield are set up in Chennai, Andhra, Bangalore, Mysore, Rajmundhary, Punjab and Bihar. The other problem associated with tobacco cultivation was the accusation that there was illegal involvement of children in the fields of cultivation. So, the government is taking stringent steps to ensure that all rules are followed and there are no misgivings in the production of tobacco.

Methods of Growing Tobacco

Like all other plants, tobacco also is traditionally sown when the climate is ideal. In some cases, the soil is treated with animal manure to ensure that the harvest is very good. There are most situations where the soil is not readied but the seeds are sown into the soil. Only care has to be taken is that the young plant will have to be shielded from frost. Because frost can kill the plants and this can change the taste of the tobacco plant. So, what most farmers do is once the seeds start sprouting they lay bigger branches which will serve as a protection for the plants. However, it is customary for tobacco plant to suffer the attacks of a kind of beetle and by replacing the bigger branches with a square shaped fabric the beetle attack was considerably reduced.

The harvesting of tobacco plants happen at the base of the plants. Generally, all the crops are harvested by chopping the stalk at a lower level, close to the ground. There are options of picking up the leaves that are bigger and mature. While picking up the mature leaves, the leaves that are dying out can be cropped or pulled out thereby mentioning the health of the tobacco plant. It is common belief that the leaves towards the end of the plant are the ones that have a high quality as these stay in the plant for a long time and mature and are also protected from too much of heat and cold.

Tobacco Growing States in India and the Best Season to Grow

Tobacco is grown widely in India and Guntur in Andhra Pradesh is a very important part of the country as far as the production of tobacco is concerned. Tobacco is also grown in south Indian states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu as well as Gujarat, Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. Overall, these states add up to make India, the fourth country in the world in Tobacco production. In the southern parts of the country where the climate tends to be warmer, tobacco is grown between the months of October and March while in the north where it tends to get colder, the season of tobacco is between September and January. This is treated more like a summer plant in the northern states.

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