NEW DELHI: India's total tobacco production is likely to exceed the authorised crop target by over 10 per cent at 300 million kg in the 2010-11 season due to illegal crop cultivation in Karnataka.
The Tobacco Board of India, which regulates tobacco production in the country, has fixed a crop target of 272 million tonnes for the 2010-11 crop year (September-August).
"We are expecting tobacco production to touch 300 million kg this year, higher than the crop size of 272 million kg -- as some farmers in Karnataka have cultivated tobacco illegally," a senior Board official told PTI.
The official, however, said this year's total tobacco output (300 million kg) is lower than the production of 323 million kg achieved in the last season.
Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh are the two leading tobacco growing states in the country. A crop size of 101.