Exportable type of flue cured tobacco is grown in Northern light soils of Andhra Pradesh covering East Godavari, West Godavari and parts of Khammam District in an area of 20,000 ha. Producing 30 million Kg. In these soils tobacco is grown under irrigated conditions. To conduct research in this tobacco a research station was started during 1975 on leased land at Devarapalli, West Godavari District and later it was shifted to Kalavacherla, East Godavari District during 1983. Later during 1988, regular research station was started at Jeelugumilli, West Godavari District to conduct systematic research on FCV tobacco.
NIRCA Research Station, Kandukur in Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh was established in 1977 to conduct research on flue-cured virginia tobacco grown in Southern Light Soils(SLS) of Andhra Pradesh. The research station has 42.2 ha of land with good infrasturctural facilities to conduct research on crop improvement, crop production and crop protection.
Out of 1,10,000 ha under FCV tobacco in Andhra Pradesh, the area in Prakasam and Nellore districts is about 75,000 ha with about 60% under SLS and rest under Southern Black Soils (SBS).
The SLS tobacco is semi-monsoon crop and soils are relatively poor in moisture retentivity. Rainfall plays significant role on the yield and quality of SLS crop. In SLS, the important factor that governs is not the total amount of rainfall but the distribution of the same during the crop season. The rainfall distribution is erratic, with the periods of drought occurring even during the season of excess rainfall.
The NIRCA Research Station, Guntur was established in 1936 under aegis of Imperial Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. In October 1965 it was brought under the administrative and technical control of Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi. It is a purely black soil farm with high content of clay, pH ranging from 8 to 8.5, low in organic carbon, medium in phosphorus and high in potassium.
The research station was established in 1957 under the second five year plan with Plant Pathology and Agronomy disciplines keeping an objective of finding remedial measures to control diseases. In order to conduct research in other fronts, Plant Breeding, Nematology and Genetics disciplines were added during 1975, 1976 and 1978 respectively. Initially during the establishment, 30 acres of land was available and in 1982 an additional area of 148 acres was acquired to fulfil the need.
The research station was established basically to conduct research on flue cured virginia tobacco. On account of large scale cultivation of bidi tobacco in southern Karnataka, work on bidi tobacco was also carried out. But when the area under bidi tobacco came down drastically due to large scale cultivation of FCV tobacco, the work on bidi tobacco was stopped in the year 1988.
The NIRCA Research Station, Vedasandur was established in the year 1948 under the control of the Indian Central Tobacco Committee to carry out research programmes on Agronomy, Botany and related aspects of Chewing , Cigar and Cheroot tobaccos grown in Tamil Nadu. The Research Station along with the Institute Head quarters came under the control of ICAR in 1969.
Before the partition of Bengal (During pre-independence period) Cigar wrapper tobacco used to be grown in Rangpur district, now Bangladesh. As a result of the partition the important cigar tobacco belt was lost. But massive demand of cigar tobacco by the domestic cigar industries located at Tiruchinapalli and Dindigul necessitated the search for a suitable agro-climatic area to cater to the domestic need. Based on intensive pilot trials the district of Cooch Behar in west Bengal ( 26 21' N latitude and 89 27 E longitude ) situated at the foot hill plains of the Himalayas, adjacent to Rangpur was found suitable for growing Cigar tobacco . In 1951 the Research Station at Dinhata was established by the then ICTC for exploring the possibility of growing cigar local tobacco and to develop improved package of practices for enhancing the yield and quality standards and to improve Tobacco farmers of the region through research works. Motihari and Jati types of tobacco are grown in area of 12,000 hectares covering mostly the northern part of West Bengal. The Research Station is working on Cigar wrapper, Jati and Motihari tobaccos by evolving high yielding varieties with better quality, management of pests and diseases, minimising the cost of cultivation, producing pure seed and seedlings for the benefit of the farmers and finding most suitable inter crops for tobacco.
Krishi Vigyan Kendra was established in the year 2012 under the administrative control of ICAR-NIRCA Rajahmundry at NIRCA Regional Research station premises, Kandukur in Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh.
Science and technology-led growth leading to enhanced productivity, profitability and sustainability of agriculture.
Farmer-centric growth in agriculture and allied sectors through application of appropriate technologies in specific agro-ecosystem perspective.
Act as a Single Window Resource Centre for agricultural technology, diagnostics and farm advisories to farmers and other stakeholders.
Krishi Vigyan Kendra was established in the year 1983 under the administrative control of ICAR-NIRCA Rajahmundry East Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh.
Science and technology-led growth leading to enhanced productivity, profitability and sustainability of agriculture.
Farmer-centric growth in agriculture and allied sectors through application of appropriate technologies in specific agro-ecosystem perspective.
Act as a Single Window Resource Centre for agricultural technology, diagnostics and farm advisories to farmers and other stakeholders.