TI Editorial

Fewest Tobacco Acres in History in the United States?

Just as this issue was going to the printer, the U.S. Department of Agriculture published its annual Prospective Planting Report, and the estimates for tobacco plantings in the United States are disturbing. Based on surveys of farmers conducted during the first two weeks of March, the report projects that:

All tobacco area for harvest in 2019 is expected to total 244,040 acres, down 16 percent from 2018. If realized, this would be the lowest tobacco acres harvested on record.

Flue-cured, at 165,000 acres, is 17 percent below 2018 and accounts for 68 percent of this year’s total expected tobacco acreage. The burley, at 53,800 acres, is down 12 percent from last year. Fire-cured, at 14,740 acres, is down 22 percent from 2018. Dark air-cured, at 6,900 acres, is down 30 percent from last year. Cigar filler, at 2,200 acres, is down eight percent from the previous year. Southern Maryland did not change from 2018 at 1,400 acres. For all types and for the two leading types—flue-cured and burley—the estimates have been smaller for three years in a row. Although not entirely unexpected, the estimates seem to confirm that the downturn in the U.S. leaf industry is not going to be reversed.

I address that question in my story (written before the USDA report) on page 26 “The Crisis that is Coming on Tobacco Road.” American tobacco farmers are facing the grim possibility that their place in the world tobacco economy might be about to collapse. Are there any solutions? Well, maybe. Steve Pratt, the general manager of a tobacco growers cooperative in Kentucky thinks cooperative effort could stem the tide. See his thought-provoking opinion piece on page 24.

And speaking of thought provocation, our London Correspondent Bob Crew brought his acerbic British wit to bear on the question, “Who won in the David and Goliath negotiations between Altria and Juul?” His answer may surprise you (page 14).

Recess filters may seem a fixture of times past in the cigarette industry, but Patrick Meredith of Essentra believes they have a future—and a bright one—as a new era becomes clear. See what he has to say on page 16. And you can learn about How a cold plasma approach can provide a solution for industrial odor control. Finally, please see our brief item pages. Leaf News (page 28) provides updates on the markets in Malawi and Zimbabwe, while TI Digest covers, among other developments, the possibility that recent court cases still in progress in Canada could chase one or more of the three cigarette manufacturers in that country into oblivion. “Given the significance of the judgment, the company fully intends to lodge an appeal against the decision with the Supreme Court of Canada.,” Imperial said in a statement.

—Christopher Bickers, Editor-In-Chief