<strong>China: Alliance One Zimbabwe Operation Delegation Visits Luliang County</strong>

Source from:  TobaccoChina Online 07/09/2013

A delegation from the Zimbabwe operation of Alliance One International – a leading independent leaf tobacco merchant serving the world's largest cigarette manufacturers – visited Luliang County in Qujing City of southwest China's tobacco-producing Yunnan Province on June 27, exchanging views on tobacco production with local officials.

Led by Ken Langley, managing director of Alliance One International's Zimbabwe operation, the delegation also included financial manager Walker Ntini and agronomic manager David Taylor.

Accompanied by Zhang Yujuan, agronomist manager of Alliance One International's China operation, Zhao Guangjie, Alliance One International's Yunnan provincial manager, and staffers with China Tobacco Yunnan Import-Export Co., Ltd., the delegation visited leaf tobacco fields and projects of construction of curing barns and leaf tobacco stations in Luliang.

Qujing City Tobacco Company Deputy Manager Gao Huafeng and Associate Inspector Mao Jianshu, and Luliang County Tobacco Subcompany Manager Yuan Guoqing and Deputy Manager Yang Shuhong played hosts to the delegation.

The delegation firstly went to Zhongba Village in Xiaobaihu Township to see the trend of growth of leaf tobacco in fields. There, the delegation attentively heard introductions by representatives of the local tobacco subcompany on the adoption of leaf tobacco production technologies including transplantation of tobacco seedlings under mulching film and optimization of the structure of leaf tobacco, and asked about the season of transplantation, generalization of technologies, etc.

Afterwards, the delegation went to Shangba Village in the township to see the new-type intensive curing barns and the construction structure of traditional local curing barns, curing facilities and equipment, leaf tobacco in curing at the curing barns, the feeding of leaf tobacco into curing barns, etc. There, the delegation elaborately asked about differences between the new-type intensive curing barns and traditional local curing barns in terms of the quality of leaf tobacco curing, curing operation, curing costs, etc.

Finally, the delegation visited Xiaobaihu Leaf Tobacco Station to see its structure of construction, the establishment of functional zones in the storages of leaf tobacco purchased from local tobacco growers, the construction of a cultural corridor there, etc. Therefore, the delegation elaborately heard introductions on the work processes and characteristics of the intensive leaf tobacco purchase model adopted by the station, the relevant work requirement there, etc, and elaborately asked about the processes of leaf tobacco preliminary inspection, storage, transportation management, etc during the period of leaf tobacco purchase from local tobacco growers, the ways of payment and transfer of funds for leaf tobacco purchase, the operation of leaf tobacco purchase, policy provisions for supporting local tobacco growers in leaf tobacco production, etc.

At the end of the visit, Ken Langley expressed thanks to the local tobacco company and subcompany for their great support and service during the stay of the delegation, and said that the members of the delegation all felt happy during the visit.

The delegation will bring back to Zimbabwe the good and advanced leaf tobacco production concepts, experience, approaches, technical measures, etc that it has seen and heard during the visit, according to Ken Langley. Meanwhile, Ken Langley expressed the wish that the tobacco industries of China at all levels will be very successful in future, and will have better and better development. Ken Langley also said that colleagues from the tobacco industry of China are warmly welcome to Zimbabwe to have visits and exchanges, to further promote exchange, communication and cooperation between the tobacco industries of the two countries. Enditem