The Board organizes supply of various inputs to growers every year at competitive prices and offers input loans at a competitive rate of interest of 6% to 6.5% per annum.

The fertilizers supplied for the farmers of Andhra and Karnataka during 2008-09 are as follows.

Fertilizer	Growers of Andhra Pradesh		Growers of Karnataka		Total Value
	Quantity	Value (Rs.)	Quantity	Value (Rs.)	(Rs.)
AS	11410.20	119396332.80	0	0	119396332.80
SSP	6021.10	20914892.96	0	0	20914892.96
SOP	6629.40	258546600.00	16396.95	409949985.12	668496585.12
DAP	6345.45	60383302.20	8198.55	76533464.25	136916766.45
CAN	8916.45	118695782.40	10935.50	127376704.00	246072486.40
20:20	1076.90	6882252.52	0	0	6882252.52
TOTALS	40399.50	584819162.88	35531.00	613860153.37	1198679316.25

The Board also supplies pesticides & fungicides to growers in Karnataka by making available input loans at a competitive rate of interest. The Board organised supply of Wellgro - an organic fertilizer / pesticide to the growers in A.P. & Karnataka against input loans at 6 to 6.5% rate of interest.

Nowadays, the customers for Indian tobacco are particular about admixture of Non Tobacco Related Materials (NTRMs) in the tobacco. Therefore, the Board undertakes publicity campaigns in the form of distribution of leaflets / pamphlets, meetings with the growers, study tours to tobacco processing plants to educate growers on the need for elimination of NTRMs and supply clean tobacco to the buyers. The Board also organizes supply of tarpaulins at subsidized cost to help growers avoid admixture of NTRMs, while bulking & grading of tobacco.

Growers use coal, wood or other materials like briquettes for curing of tobacco. Tobacco Board obtains indents from the interested growers and arranges coal from M/s. Singareni Collieries, delivered at the growers’ barn site in Andhra Pradesh & Karnataka.

Since 2006-07 the growers' indent for supply of coal has been decreasing due to various reasons and the growers are using mostly wood and other materials. Most of the farmers in Andhra Pradesh use the wood of PROSOPHIS JULIFLORA- a wild shrub grown on roadsides, vacant lands, wastelands, on the bunds of rivers/ rivulets etc. for curing tobacco. The stubbles of Eucalyptus, Casurina, Subabul from the social forestry also accounts for a bulk of tobacco curing materials.

In Karnataka, coffee husk, paddy husk, maize cobs and coconut shells are used for tobacco curings. Briquettes-- an environmental friendly product-- made of Agri-waste are also under usage in Karnataka. Owing to sharp increase in wood material costs due to competition from Bio Power Plants, the Board advises the farmers to raise their own wood fuel to meet their requirements for curing of tobacco.