Fuel Consumption Study In Indian Fcv Tobacco Value Chain

Nishith Ranjan Kar

Tobacco is an important commercial crop grown in India. India occupies third position in tobacco production in the world with an annual production of about 840 Million Kgs. Based on the curing practices, tobacco is generally classified as FCV (Flue cured Virginia) and Non-FCV. Among various types of tobacco grown in India, flue-cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco accounts for only 190 Million Kgs and the rest of the tobacco is non flue cured. FCV tobacco is the only agricultural crop which is highly regulated by Tobacco Board (an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Commerce) and subjected to stringent restrictions on extent of area planted, quantity of tobacco produced and cured. Production of FCV tobacco in excess of authorized limits, without registration from Tobacco Board and not following sustainable practices is subject to levy of heavy penalties and cancellation of license deterring the farmers from doing so. FCV tobacco requires fuel for curing and the study was conducted to find out the complete value chain of fuel used for curing FCV tobacco. The study covered all the FCV growing districts in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and the focus was on understanding the fuel requirement and consumption pattern. Tobacco grower’s survey, fuel supplier’s survey and focused group discussions were conducted to find the results of the planned study. The study reveals that the average Specific Fuel Consumption (SFC) or quantity of fuel (in Kg) required to cure 1 Kg of tobacco across the region is 4.5. The variation in SFC among districts surveyed was found very less. The study also found the sustainable sourcing of fuel for curing of tobacco is demonstrated due to every year plantation from farming community and usage of alternative fuel (viz., Prosopis juliflora weed, Coconut fronds, Carpentry waste, Coffee stem etc.) accounts for 63%, Eucalyptus (10%), Acacia (9%) and the rest approx. 18% are the other fuels. Further, the study also revealed a strong fact that there is “no deforestation” due to tobacco curing in India. No natural wood or timber wood or forest wood is used in tobacco curing in both the FCV growing states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka [1].