Following the sensitisation workshops conducted across Andhra Pradesh’s major FCV tobacco-growing regions, Sustainable Alternatives extended its European Green Deal (EGD) sensitisation initiative to Karnataka’s Light Soil (KLS) area. The workshops were conducted across all ten auction platforms in the region, bringing together FCV tobacco farmers, officials from the Tobacco Board and experts working closely with the sector to discuss the growing relevance of EGD-linked requirements.
Covering All Ten Platforms in the Karnataka Light Soil Area
The sensitisation programme covered Ramanathpura 1 & 2, Periyapatna 1, 2 & 3, Hunsur 1, 2 & 3, Chilkunda and H D Kote, ensuring that farmers across all ten auction platforms in the KLS area were brought into the conversation.
Mr B Maranna, Region Manager (Periyapatna), Tobacco Board, kicked off the EGD sensitisation workshops at Ramanathpura and Periyapatna, together covering five auction platforms. The respective Auction Superintendents also participated in the workshops, engaging with farmers on the changes that could increasingly shape access to global tobacco markets.
The sensitisation exercise was subsequently taken to Hunsur, Chilkunda and H D Kote, where Mr H K Gopal, Region Manager (Mysore), Tobacco Board, initiated the workshops.
Representing Sustainable Alternatives through the Karnataka rollout were Mr Kalyan Ranjan, Advisor – Sustainable Alternatives, and Mr M Pardha Saradhi, Consultant – Sustainable Alternatives. They were joined by Dr Mahadev Swami, Scientist (Retd.), CTRI, and Mr S S Patil, Region Manager (Retd.), Tobacco Board, bringing together experience across tobacco research and market systems to take the EGD conversation closer to farmers.
Why EGD Compliance Is Becoming a Question of Competitiveness
At the Chilkunda auction platform, Mr B C Srinivas, IRS, Director of Auctions, addressed the participating farmers and officials. He appreciated the work being undertaken by Sustainable Alternatives and highlighted the importance of understanding and adopting EGD-linked norms if India’s FCV tobacco sector is to remain competitive in international markets.
His remarks brought attention to an important shift taking place across agricultural value chains. Environmental and sustainability requirements are increasingly becoming connected with the way crops are cultivated, documented and eventually placed in export markets. For FCV tobacco farmers, this means that understanding these requirements early could become important in preparing for the changes ahead.
Ensuring Practical Solutions for Indian Farmers
As the EGD begins to influence global agricultural supply chains, the larger challenge will be ensuring that the transition is practical at the farm level and that growers receive the knowledge, institutional support and technical guidance required to adapt.
By covering all ten auction platforms in the Karnataka Light Soil area, Sustainable Alternatives has widened the conversation around what the European Green Deal could mean for India’s FCV tobacco sector. The next stage will be to understand how farmers themselves view these emerging requirements and what support they believe will be necessary to translate awareness into workable changes on the ground.
