Tobacco, a commodity which earns combned tax revenue including central excise, state taxes (VAT, entry tax etc), more than Rs.29,000 crore and foreign exchange Rs. 6449 crore annually besides providing employment directly or indirectly to 45.7 millions of people. It is grown in about 0.24 % of the total cropped area of the country. Among various types of tobacco grown in India, bidi tobacco ranks second, accounting for 35 % of the total tobacco area and first in production accounting for 33 % of total tobacco production in the country. In Gujarat, tobacco is cultivated in around 1.59 lakh ha, the major type being bidi tobacco. The other types of tobacco grown in Gujarat are chewing (Lal and Kala chopadia), Hookah (Gadaku) and rustica, which are grown in about 40,000 ha. Total production comes to about 263 million kg with a productivity of 1658 kg/ha. The production of bidi tobacco in Gujarat is largely concentrated in Middle Gujarat Zone comprising Kheda, Anand, Mahisagar and Vadodara districts (90 % of total production of Gujarat) besides a small area in Panchmahals  district, while in North Gujarat Zone in Amdavad district in a compact area of about 500 ha of Sanand taluka, gadaku tobacco is grown. In Mahesana, Banaskantha, Gandhinagar and Sabarkantha districts mainly rustica tobacco is cultivated.