Lok Sabha Question No. 3439 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-01-01
Subject: Tobacco Farming
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE, VINAYAK BHAURAO RAUT, PRITAM GOPINATH MUNDE, ANANDRAO  ADSUL, KUNWAR PUSHPENDRA SINGH CHANDEL, C. N. JAYADEVAN, DHARMENDRA YADAV

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COOPERATION AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3439

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE  1 ST  JANUARY, 2019

## TOBACCO FARMING

## 3439.  DR. SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE:

SHRI VINAYAK BHAURAO RAUT:

DR. PRITAM GOPINATH MUNDE:

SHRI ANANDRAO ADSUL:

SHRI KUNWAR PUSHPENDRA SINGH CHANDEL:

SHRI C.N. JAYADEVAN:

SHRI DHARMENDRA YADAV:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is a  fact  that  the  Government  has  made  allocations  of  certain  amount of funds in the budgets from 2015- 16 onwards as Central share to diversify tobacco farming in the tobacco producing States like Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha,  Tamil  Nadu,  Telangana,  UP  and  West  Bengal  and  if  so,  the  amount  allocated therefor, State and year-wise;
- (b) the steps being taken to ensure that tobacco farmers are shifted to alternative farming options and the number of farmers/hectares of land which have been shifted from tobacco to other crops in each State;
- (c) the alternative crops identified in each State and adopted for farming; and
- (d) whether Inter-Ministerial committee had been formed to address the issue, if so, the key decisions taken in this regard?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF  STATE IN THE  MINISTRY OF  AGRICULTURE AND  FARMERS  WELFARE

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंालय म राय मंी ( SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

(a): The Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW) had made budgetary  allocations  from    2015-16  onwards  as  Central  share  under  Crop  Diversification Programme  (CDP),  an  ongoing  sub-scheme  of  Rashtriya  Krishi  Vikas  Yojana  (RKVY)  to encourage tobacco growing farmers to shift to alternative crops/cropping system in tobacco growing states. State and year-wise budgetary allocations (Central share) made under CDP from 2015-16 to diversify tobacco farming in the tobacco producing States is as under:

(Rs. in lakh)

|   S. No. | State          |   2015-16 |   2016-17 |   2017-18 |   2018-19 |
|----------|----------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
|        1 | Andhra Pradesh |     787   |       945 |    210.1  |    210.1  |
|        2 | Bihar          |      67   |        80 |     17.8  |     17.8  |
|        3 | Gujarat        |     754   |       905 |    201.23 |    201.23 |
|        4 | Karnataka      |     600   |       720 |    160.08 |    160.08 |
|        5 | Maharashtra    |      11   |        13 |      2.86 |      2.86 |
|        6 | Odisha         |       9   |        11 |      2.45 |      2.45 |
|        7 | Tamil Nadu     |      20.5 |        24 |      5.33 |      5.33 |
|        8 | Telangana      |      38.5 |        47 |     10.47 |     10.47 |
|        9 | Uttar Pradesh  |     143   |       172 |     38.21 |     38.21 |
|       10 | West Bengal    |      70   |        83 |     18.47 |     18.47 |

(b): Under CDP, tobacco growing States have given flexibility to take suitable activities/interventions for replacing the tobacco to alternative crops/cropping system as per the cost norms approved under any Centrally Sponsored Scheme/State Scheme. The States may also organize study tours/ exposure visits and campaigns etc. for highlighting harmful effects  of  tobacco  and  long  term  benefits  of  alternative  crops  under  CDP.  In  order  to encourage  tobacco  growing  farmers  to  shift  to  other  crops,  a  National  Seminar  on  Crop Diversification  sponsored  by  DAC&FW  was  organized  by  the  ICAR-Central  Tobacco Research  Institute  (CTRI)  at  Rajahmundry  to  exchange  information  and  experiences  of various  stakeholders  on  various  issues  relating  to  tobacco  diversification.  In  addition  to above, DAC&FW is also supplementing the efforts of the States through implementation of various Crop Development Programmes on Agriculture/Horticulture crops.

As per the reports of the State Governments, tobacco area shifted to other crops are; 1,16,635  hectares  in  Andhra  Pradesh,  446  hectares  in  Bihar,  13,858  hectares  in  Gujarat, 1500 hectares in Karnataka, 636 hectares in Tamil Nadu, 120 hectares in Telangana, 2072 hectares in Uttar Pradesh  and 2928 hectares in West Bengal from 2015-16. Besides, the State Government of Odisha has also reported diversion of tobacco area to alternate crops in an area of 5370 hectares from 2001-02 to 2017-18.

(c): The  research  work  carried  out  by  ICAR-  CTRI,  Rajahmundry  revealed  that  a remunerative  cropping  system  rather  than  a  sole  crop  can  be  a  viable  alternative  to  sole tobacco crop.  Alternative crops/cropping systems like maize, wheat, ragi, cotton, soybean, mustard,  castor,  groundnut,  black  gram,  red  gram,  green  gram,  chilly,  chickpea,  potato, ginger,  sugarcane,  turmeric,  moringa,  oil  palm  etc.  have  been  identified  for  the  tobacco growing areas in different states. The most preferred diversified suitable crops adopted for farming reported by the states are as under;

|   S.No. | State          | Diversified preferred crops adopted for farming                                                                                                                                                        |
|---------|----------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|       1 | Andhra Pradesh | Bengal gram, Black gram, Green gram, Jowar, Maize, Oilseeds crops & Hybrid Vegetables                                                                                                                  |
|       2 | Bihar          | Vegetables like Carrot, Raddish, Cauliflower/Cabbage, Okra, Tomato, Chili, Brinjal, Pumpkin/ Sponge Gourd/ Bitter Gourd/Cucumber/Ridge Gourd, Pea and Onion                                            |
|       3 | Gujarat        | Wheat, Pulses, Nutri Cereals (Jowar, Bajra), Paddy & Cotton                                                                                                                                            |
|       4 | Karnataka      | Cereals/Millets, Pulses, Sugarcane, Oilseeds, Horticultural crops (Mango, Banana, Papaya) Flowers, Plantation crop and Vegetables                                                                      |
|       5 | Odisha         | Hybrid Maize, Millets, Vegetables, Oil Seeds (Groundnut & Mustard), Cropping system like Vegetable- Maize/ Millets, Vegetables-Groundnut/ Mustard, Vegetables- Urd/Bengal gram, Vegetables- Vegetables |
|       6 | Tamil Nadu     | Hybrid Maize, Chilli, Brinjal & Tomato                                                                                                                                                                 |
|       7 | Telangana      | Rainfed Black soils: Soybean + Pigeon pea and Cotton + Pigeon pea, Rainfed Red soils: Groundnut under irrigation, Alluvial soils inundated up to September: Chickpea and Chillies                      |
|       8 | Uttar Pradesh  | Lentil, Gram, Mustard & Wheat                                                                                                                                                                          |
|       9 | West Bengal    | Mustard, Winter Vegetables, Potato, Wheat & Hybrid Maize                                                                                                                                               |

(d): DAC&FW has not formed any Inter-Ministerial Committee under Crop Diversification Programme.  However,  Ministry  of  Health  &  Family  Welfare  has  constituted  an  InterMinisterial  Committee  of  Secretaries  in  November,  2014  at  the  national  level  under  the chairpersonship  of  Cabinet  Secretary  having  representatives  from  different Ministries/ Departments, including Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to review and develop a comprehensive policy on tobacco and tobacco related issues. During the 1 st meeting of the Inter-Ministerial  Committee  of  Secretaries  (CoS),  held  in  December,  2014,  at  Cabinet Secretariat, the CoS recommended that the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare being the core and nodal Ministry for World Health Organization - Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC), should co-ordinate with all Departments concerned on matters related to compliance of obligations under WHO-FCTC.

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