the best. Eighty percent of the tobacco grown in Karnataka came from the talukas of Chikodi, Hukkeri and Gokak of Belgaon district. Nipani which is a town in Chikodi taluka was the biggest centre for tobacco trading. Traders from all over the country came there for their purchase. Soil and climate in Nipani area were quite suitable for tobacco cultivation. The crop comes mainly in about five months between August and February. Since there was quite a high tax on tobacco, which gave good income to the Government, right from the British days Government had encouraged tobacco cultivation. The cultivation in Nipani area started around 1890. It was fairly common for the farmer to accept whatever price traders paid for his tobacco. They would put their thumb impression on any paper traders showed them and at times even on blank papers. It was a combination of blind faith and terror. So petrified were the farmers that when they walked from the front of traders’ houses, farmers would take their footwear in hand and then walk. When farmer brought his tobacco in the market, several kinds of deductions (what was called soot) were made from the total weight. These deductions were on account of air which was supposed to be present inside the plucked tobacco, on account of possible error in the weighing balance, the soil or small sticks that came with the crop and also the sack in which tobacco was brought to the market. This generally amounted to 16% of the gross weight and to that extent farmer received less money for his crop. There was no standard method of calculating these deductions and whatever trader said was accepted as final. The farmer had no proof of the tobacco he had delivered. Accounts kept by the trader were accepted. Even the money that was due to him was never paid immediately. It would get paid over a period of next six months and the farmer would have to Smouldering Tobacco in Nipani
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