Lack of tobacco supply imminent

BOJONEGORO, East Java: Tobacco seeds can not be planted in some 700 hectares of fertile lands in Sumberejo and Kanor districts here in this planting season, as local weather agency has predicted that rain will still pound the areas in the coming months. The planting season will start in April this year.

"The local farmers have known that if they insists to start planting the tobacco seeds in bad weather, the tobacco seeds will spoil and perish," said Sugeng Pratikno, the head of a large tobacco maker PT Gudang Garam's Bojonegoro branch.

Citing a weather forecast, the rainfalls measuring 370 to 390 millimeters per month will still pound the two districts in April.

The degree of the rainfall is far from level required for the planting of the tobacco seeds, namely not more than 200 millimeters per month.

He acknowledged that his company PT Gudang Garam, one of largest cigarette producers in the country, will be short of tobacco supply in the middle of this year, the harvest period of the tobacco plants.

However, he said that the company was ready to seek for alternative supply of the tobacco. -- Antara