In Focus
Tobacco consumption - in the form of smoking or chewing - has been linked with multiple serious health issues. But cultivation of tobacco also happens to be the source of livelihood for thousands of farmers, particularly in Mysuru and parts of adjoining Hassan district.
The flue-cured Virginia (FCV) variety of tobacco cultivated in Karnataka Light Soil in the region enjoys a good international market not only for its blending quality, but also for the low nicotine and tar content. A controlled commercial crop, tobacco is cultivated by an estimated 40,000 registered growers on the basis of the crop size fixed by the Tobacco Board every year.