<p></p><p>Even as emphasis is being laid on promotingsubstitute crops for making farming sustainable, especially in thelight of farmers suicides, several farmers from old Mysuru regionhave shown interest in taking up cashew cultivation, which is beingpromoted as a workable option.Farmers from Kodagu and Mandya too had shown enthusiasm to switchover to cashew cultivation, adopting modern and scientific practices.As many as 125 farmers from Mysuru, Mandya, Chamarajnagar, Hassanand Kodagu districts attended a programme on cashew cultivation atthe College of Horticulture here recently <br></p> <p>and collected detailson the advantages of cashew cultivation from scientists, experts andcashew farmers.Karnataka Horticulture University Vice-chancellor D L Maheshwar,said that cashew cultivation will become a suitable alternative crop in the years ahead as it can be grown in areas which receive deficient rains.In the next five to 10 years, I am sure that Karnataka will become oneof the major producers of cashew in the country, he said.He advised cashew growers to constitute growers groups likecoffee and arecanut growers to ensure better price for their produce.He called upon the Karnataka Cashew Development Board, CashewResearch Board,Directorate for Cashew and Cocoa and theDepartment of Horticulture to come up with schemes for small andmedium farmers to encourage cashew cultivation.Can cashew crop an appropriate alternative to tobacco? Theanswer, according to horticulture expert, A B Patil, who is engagedin extension activities is yes. In the present context, the cropcan be a morale booster to farmers in rain-dependent land, he said,at a programme on promoting cashew cultivation at the College ofHorticulture here recently. <br></p> <p>Especially in Mysuru which is one of the largest producers oftobacco in the State, the crop can emerge as an ideal alternative totobacco, Mr Patil suggested.By 2020, India has to reduce tobacco cultivation as it is asignatory to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) andtherefore it is under obligation to bring down the production. Indiais among the 150 countries that are signatories to the FCTC,sponsored by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Anti-tobaccoactivists have urging tobacco farmers to switch over to other crops.Tobacco is cultivated in about 1 lakh hectares in Mysuru district byover 45,000 farmers. At least, 80 per cent of the tobacco grown inMysuru is exported. An average price for 1 kg of tobacco in Mysurumarket fetches around Rs. 130 and the average yield per acre is around600 to 700 kg.More than 1 lakh small and marginal farmers in Mysuru, Hassan andChamarajanagar districts are dependent on Flue Cured VirginiaTobacco (FCV) crop for their livelihood. Apart from farm families,over 4 lakh farm workers are depending on the corp.UNI BSP CS 1300<br></p><p></p>