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ABOUT US
Tobacco
is an important commercial crop grown in the country. It occupies
third position in the world with aproduction of about 680 Million Kgs. Of
different types grown, flue-cured tobacco, country tobacco, burley, bidi,
rustica and chewing tobacco are important. India, as an exporter
of tobacco, ranks sixth in the world next to Brazil, China, USA, Malawi
and Italy.
Tobacco
and tobacco products earn a whopping sum of about Rs.7319 crores
to the national exchequer in terms of excise revenue and foreign
exchange of Rs.1362 Crores (2004-05). Furthermore,
tobacco provides gainful employment to several lakhs of people
who thrive on this weed crop.
Flue-cured growth, with a production of about 240 million Kgs,
is the singular type which contributes huge amount of forex and
excise earnings. More or
less, 50% of the FCV tobacco produced is consumed domestically while the rest
is exported to more than 100 countries across the globe. Other tobacco
types viz., Burley, Country tobacco, Chewing tobaccos (Lal chopadia, Judi and
Rustica) are also exported where as bidi tobacco - a poor man's smoke - is consumed
within the country.
Flue-cured Virginia tobacco is the principal type grown in the
states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka under varied agro-climatic
conditions. It is grown
in the light soils of Karnataka as rain fed crop and in the heavy soils of Andhra
Pradesh under conserved moisture in the aftermath of Southwest monsoon rains. The
crop is grown under irrigated conditions in the Northern Light Soils (NLS) of
Andhra Pradesh and Eastern Light Soils (ELS) of Orissa and as a semi-monsoon
crop in Southern Light Soils (SLS) of Andhra Pradesh. Thus, India is endowed
with a vast potential to produce different styles of tobacco so as to cater to
interests of the discerning customers.
The Govt. of India established Tobacco Board under an Act of Parliament in the
year 1975 with a view to bring about all-round development of the tobacco industry
with effect from 1.1.1976 with head quarters at Guntur, Andhra Prdesh.
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