<strong>China: STMA Issues Opinions on Promoting Standardization in Leaf Tobacco Production</strong>

Source from:  TobaccoChina Online 06/17/2013

The State Tobacco Monopoly Administration – the regulator of China's tobacco industry – has recently issued a set of opinions on promoting standardization in leaf tobacco production in China, in efforts to effectively give play to the basic supporting role of standardization in leaf tobacco production in the country.

The set of opinions is intended to keep promoting both the technology and management of leaf tobacco production to higher levels, support on a full scale the development of a modern tobacco agriculture in China and enhance the capacity of guaranteeing the supply of high-quality raw materials for cigarette production.

The set of opinions specifically points out that in the 2011-2015 five-year period, efforts shall be made to establish on a full scale a system of standardization in leaf tobacco production meeting the requirement of the development of a modern tobacco agriculture and put it into effective operation; have units of exclusive high-quality leaf tobacco production and supply bases organize production in accordance with the standards commonly set by both manufacturing and commercial enterprises of the tobacco industry; enable the quality of leaf tobacco to meet the requirement of cigarette production; focus energy on supporting a shift of leaf tobacco production onto "supply of raw materials by exclusive bases, making the quality of leaf tobacco characteristic and modernization of the mode of leaf tobacco production"; have leaf tobacco product quality and safety control and production processes control meet the relevant requirements of the State and the tobacco industry; and practically guarantee the quality and safety of leaf tobacco products.

The set of opinions requires all the relevant units in leaf tobacco production zones to further strengthen the organization and leadership of the work of standardization in leaf tobacco production, improve the relevant measures and working mechanisms and establish long-acting mechanisms; and urged further strengthening of the close cooperation with tobacco manufacturing enterprises and the relevant scientific-technological research units, and formation of a favorable situation of joint construction by both the manufacturing and commercial sectors of the tobacco industry in the work of standardization in leaf tobacco production; and development of a force of highly qualified leading technological human resources for standardization in leaf tobacco production, to practically give play to the role of service and guidance, and to ensure implementation of the relevant technical standards on all tobacco fields and all tobacco growing farm households. Enditem