Mysuru: The Tobacco Institute of India (TII) celebrated the Silver Jubilee of its Tobacco Farmers’ Awards, marking 25 years of recognising excellence in tobacco farming.

The event was held at a convention hall at Vijayanagar in Mysuru city this morning and honoured ten progressive farmers from Karnataka for adopting sustainable and modern farming practices.

Awardees are, Vikram Raj Urs from Bettada Thunga, Javaregowda from Udduru, K. M. Raju from Karnakuppe, Halamma from Javarikoppalu, K.M. Mallesh from TarkiKoppal, C. Kemparaju from Heggudlu, K.C. Krishnegowda from K.G. Koppal, C. Chandregowda from Undawadi, Kamalamma from Kalegowdanakopplau and Chandrappa from Dadadahalli.

The ceremony was inaugurated by Animal Husbandry and Sericulture Minister K. Venkatesh and presided over by Mysuru-Kodagu MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar. Key officials, including Tobacco Board Chairman Yashwanth Kumar Chidipothu and CTRI-Hunsur Principal Scientist Dr. S. Ramakrishnan, were present.

Started in 1999, the awards aim to promote innovation in tobacco cultivation and support India’s competitiveness in the global market. This year’s recognitions were presented under four categories — Lifetime Achievement, Best Farmers, Recognition and Sustainability.

In a message, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah lauded the resilience and contribution of tobacco farmers to the agricultural and economic fabric of the country.

TII Director Sharad Tandan highlighted the tobacco sector’s role in supporting the livelihoods of over 4.6 crore Indians, including farmers and workers.

He noted that India is the world’s second-largest tobacco producer and third-largest producer of Flue-Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco, exporting to over 100 countries.

Tandan pointed out that tobacco and tobacco product exports touched an all-time high of Rs. 16,000 crore in 2024-25. He urged the Government to extend export incentives to enhance competitiveness against countries like China and Brazil.

TII also voiced apprehensions about potential outcomes from the upcoming World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Conference of the Parties (COP11) meeting in Geneva this November.