Leaf News

UNITED STATES

Transplanting begins in the US

A planting scene near Raeford, N.C. Half the North Carolina flue-cured crop had been transplanted by the first week of May.

LEXINGTON, KY.—Planting of the fluecured crops in Georgia and Florida were complete by May 1 thanks to favorable weather. In South Carolina. planting was estimated at 27 percent by the same date but was not as far along in North Carolina. Growers in Virginia had just started transplanting through the end of April. According to USDA, Virginia flue-cured was four percent transplanted and burley and fire-cured were two percent transplanted.

In the burley belt, the state agronomist in Kentucky, the leading burley state, said good weather had helped the state’s growers get into the field. “We have had a little planting, but I doubt we are up to five percent yet,” he said. “So far, it has been the best start to a season we’ve had in some time.”

He thinks plantings in Kentucky may be down 20 percent when all is said and done.

CANADA

Seeding Going Well

TILLSONBURG, ONTARIO—Most greenhouses in southern Ontario had been seeded by the end of March, said Mitchell Richmond, Team Leader for the Canadian Tobacco Research Foundation, which has alerted member growers of pests, fertility, and contamination issues to be alert for as seeds germinate and seedlings grow, ushering in the start of the 2019 growing season.

ITALY

PMI Promises Continued Support to Growers

ROME—Philip Morris Italia has made a strong commitment to promote the enhancement and sustainability of Italian tobacco cultivation.

It is backing up its pledge with investments of up to 500 million euros for the purchase of the best tobacco leaf and for innovation in the supply chain.

Eugenio Sidoli, Chairman, Philip Morris Italia, said of the agreement, “We are proud to confirm our historic strategic collaboration with the national authorities for the sustainability of the tobacco chain. With the agreement signed today, we are committed to guaranteeing—together with the Italian Government—a sustainable future for about a thousand small and medium enterprises that represent a case of excellence in the European panorama.”

A fundamental part of the agreement will be the application of PM Italia’s guidelines on “Sustainable Tobacco Production” and of the code of “Good Agricultural Labor Practices.”

The company is committed to continuing the collaboration with Italian farmers through training sessions on the most advanced methods of tobacco cultivation. This will support the implementation of pilot projects for the introduction of innovative technologies in cultivation practices.

The agreement is the highest investment in the sector by a private company, PM Italia said.

PAKISTAN

Growers Demand Tax Termination

ISLAMABAD—A new additional tax on raw tobacco will seriously affect the livelihoods of leaf growers and should be immediately withdrawn, said growers of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

In an April 10 press conference, the growers and others asked the government to immediately withdraw the newly announced additional tax of Rs300 per kg on raw tobacco.

The tax is onerous: Without it, the price of raw tobacco is only around Rs180 per kilogram, the growers said in press reports.

The duty can be refunded if the buyer exports the tobacco after processing. But that will do no good to local manufacturers. Many growers would have to shift to other enterprises, of which there are only a few viable ones.

If this issue isn’t resolved, the growers expressed willingness to demonstrate against the tax in the streets.

They also objected to the closing of the Philip Morris Pakistan factory in Kotri, Sindh and said that the employees who had been suspended should be restored.

TANZANIA

Production Down, Way Down

DAR ES SALAAM—Production of tobacco has significantly declined in Tanzania since the 2013/2014 farming season, said Stanley Mnozya, Deputy Managing Director of the Tanzania Tobacco Board, in an article in the Vaping Post.

“There has been a spate of pests that destroy tens of hectares of tobacco farms annually which subsequently raise production costs of the cash crop,” he said.

Production of tobacco in 2013/2014 peaked at 105 million kilograms, falling to 93 million kilograms the next year, 72 million kilograms the year after and 60 kilograms the year after that. In 2017/2018, the total was 50.5 million kilograms, said Mnozya.

Tobacco production has also been held back by low demand in international markets following anti-tobacco global campaigns.