Tobacco farming has boosted the income of farmers in Mahottari Rural Municipality-6 in recent years.  

Due to inadequate irrigation facilities and the unavailability of seeds and fertilizers on time, many farmers initially shifted from traditional paddy cultivation to tobacco farming. They now consider it a cost-effective and less labor-intensive alternative.  

“Most farmers in our village have switched to tobacco farming due to the limited income and high labor demands for paddy production,” Ram Jiwan Sah, a local farmer, told state-owned news agency RSS.  

According to Sah, tobacco is now grown on nearly 40% of the village’s arable land, with over 50 households cultivating the crop across more than 50 bigha (approximately 12.64 hectares).  

Farmers report that income from tobacco farming is three times higher than that of paddy. The crop is sold at Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 per kilogram, depending on quality, with Indian traders purchasing it from local markets, said farmer Ram Ekwal Sah.  

Mohan Mandal, another farmer, noted that one kattha (around 0.01 hectare) of land yields around 200 kg of tobacco, generating a minimum annual income of Rs 200,000.  

RSS