China: Key Tobacco-Growing Region to Increase Standardized Production of Leaf Tobacco

Source from:  Yangtze River Tobacco News 09/24/2008

Southwest China's Chongqing City - a key tobacco-growing region in China - is taking steps to gradually increase standardized production of leaf tobacco locally, to 90 percent or more by the year 2010, Chongqing City Tobacco Monopoly Administration has announced recently. For China's tobacco industry, standardized production of leaf tobacco refers to the move of tobacco-growing regions to scientifically establish systems of technical, management and service standards for all processes of leaf tobacco production, in light of their local conditions. Through publicity and implementation of the systems of standards established, they expect to enhance their annual leaf tobacco production capacity, to practically pave the way for realizing large-scale tobacco growing, intensive operation, specialized division of duty and information-based management. Chongqing City Tobacco Monopoly Administration started the process of promoting standardized production of leaf tobacco in July. In accordance with the unified planning of the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA), it has formulated and distributed the Opinions on Full-Scale Promotion of Standardized Production of Leaf Tobacco, which provides for realizing standardization in all leaf tobacco production processes in line with the principles of "making scientific planning and unified arrangement, following successful models and seeking practical results and higher efficiency," with focus on the production of high-quality leaf tobacco. So far, Chongqing City Tobacco Monopoly Administration has worked out a three-year program for promoting standardized leaf tobacco production in the region, which provides for the operation of pilot projects to introduce in 2008 standardized production at three local sub-companies, respectively based in Qianjiang, Wulong and Wanzhou, in order that over 60 percent of the production zones in Qianjiang and Wulong will have realized full-scale standardized production of leaf tobacco by the end of the year, and that over 60 percent of the production zones in Wanzhou will have realized full-scale standardized production of burley by then. By the year 2009, over 80 percent of the production zones in Chongqing will have realized full-scale standardized production of leaf tobacco, and by the year 2010, the rate will have gradually grown to 90 percent or higher, according to the program. Enditem