Madras, August 5: Snuff, a sniff of which is said to drive drowsiness away, is spreading its sway in the country.A survey of the snuff industry in Madras, the biggest snuff production centre in the country, revealed, however that fashions and fads, like the ceremonious use of ornate snuff boxes that attended the advent of snuff, are passing away.There were but a dozen manufacturers in the city till 40 years ago. Their number now exceeds 100 and production has gone up to 2,367 tonnes a year.The city gets its raw material, tobacco, from Andhra Pradesh. Snuff is produced in Gujarat, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh also, but they account for only a fraction of the country’s total production.Snuff-users are predominantly villagers, especially along the coastal regions stretching in a great arc from Gujarat to West Bengal, the demand being the greatest along the Kerala coast. Mr. M.V. Ranga Rao, Secretary of the Madras State Snuff and Tobacco Merchants Association, says snuff has found growing patronage among students. Published - August 06, 2026 03:33 am IST