STMA Holds Symposium on Development of Middle-Scent Leaf Tobacco

Source from:  Tobaccochina Online 10/22/2010

The State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA) - the regulator of China's tobacco industry - held in Changsha City of south central China's Hunan Province on October 8 a symposium on schemes for fulfilling "the research project of appraisal and definition of styles and characteristics of middle-scent leaf tobacco" for producing Chinese-style cigarettes. Attending the meeting were the relevant leaders and experts from Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute and the technology centers of Shanghai Tobacco Group, Zhejiang Provincial China Tobacco Industry Corporation, Hunan Provincial China Tobacco Industry Corporation and other regional tobacco industry corporations. Presently, middle-scent leaf tobacco, with its outstanding styles and characteristics and high quality, is greatly favored by designers of cigarette blending formulas, and has become a major raw material for producing Chinese-style cigarettes. Along with rapid development of competitive cigarette brands in China, the demand for middle-scent leaf tobacco is running increasingly high. "The research project of appraisal and definition of styles and characteristics of middle-scent leaf tobacco" is intended to study the types of aromas of middle-scent leaf tobacco, which are major bases for the use of leaf tobacco in cigarette production and major indexes for appraising the styles and characteristics of leaf tobacco, and which take a very important position in the designing of blending formulas for cigarette production. The current symposium was aimed at systematically appraising the styles and characteristics of middle-scent leaf tobacco, defining the styles and characteristics of middle-scent leaf tobacco, defining the regions suitable for growing middle-scent leaf tobacco, defining the role of middle-scent leaf tobacco in cigarette blending formulas, and promoting the development and utilization of middle-scent leaf tobacco, in accordance with the study and development of the methodology for sensory evaluation of the quality, styles and characteristics of leaf tobacco, and also in accordance with the study of the characteristic chemical composition of leaf tobacco in terms of the aromatic style. Fulfillment of "the research project of appraisal and definition of styles and characteristics of middle-scent leaf tobacco" is of great significance to sustainable and sound development of Chinese-style cigarette products and to realization of both the "532" strategic development target and the "461" strategic development target of the STMA. The STMA's "532" development target provides that in a period of five years or longer, efforts will be intensified to develop two well-known cigarette brands each with an annual output of 5 million cases, three each with an annual output of 3 million cases and five each with an annual output of 2 million cases. And, the "461" development target of the STMA provides that by the year 2015, efforts will be intensified to develop 12 highly influential cigarette brands each capable of generating over 40 billion yuan in annual sales income, including six each capable of generating over 60 billion yuan in annual sales income, and one capable of generating 100 billion yuan in annual sales income. Enditem