MYSORE: "Fisorium wilt," a soil-borne disease, has affected the tobacco crop in the district. This has come at a time when farmers were getting ready for harvest and prices were set to go up.

The disease has already affected around 15,000 hectares of land in Periyapatna, Hunsur and H.D. Kote taluks, the main tobacco-growing belt in the State. This has affected a number of small and marginal farmers who were hoping of a better output and price during the season.

B.V. Javare Gowda, Member, Tobacco Board, told The Hindu that out of the 76,000 hectares of land in which tobacco was being grown in the district, "fisorium wilt" had affected around 15,000 hectares, resulting in losses to the tune of around Rs. 10 crore. Of the estimated 40,000 growers in the State, nearly 3,000 small and marginal farmers had been affected, he said.

It is learnt that farmers of this region have not witnessed an attack of the disease on the tobacco plant for a long time.

The farmers were not in a situation to recover the cost of production or repay the bank loan, he said.

"Fisorium Wilt" affects tobacco crop owing to non-rotation of crops. But those with small and marginal holdings were not in a position to rotate crops. The Tobacco Board should have given clear intimation to the farmers to take up preventive measures, Mr. Gowda said. Mr. Gowda said that farmers were expecting better price this time as tobacco growers in Andhra Pradesh had received a good average price for the crop.

Harvest

In Mysore district, around 10 per cent of the crop from the early plantation was already for harvest, while middle and later plantation crop would be ready for harvest in about a month. Tobacco Board had fixed the crop size for farmers of Karnataka at around 84 million kg with an additional 10 per cent as nature's bounty, which would result in a total crop size of around 93 million kg. Mr. Gowda said tobacco growers had appealed to the State and Union Governments to provide them compensation. They have also requested Indian Trade Association to supply bavastin, a chemical prescribed to prevent the "fisorium wilt" attack, at a subsidised rate.

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