National-Level Meeting Held on Leaf Tobacco Production, Trade

Source from:  STMA 11/02/2004

China National Leaf Tobacco Corporation held a meeting on leaf tobacco production and trade in Beijing City on October 27, with calls for stabilizing leaf tobacco production and trade in China. In an address to the meeting, General Manager Zhao Zhenshan of China National Leaf Tobacco Corporation made the following statements and instructions in summarizing leaf tobacco production and trade in China in 2004: [img border=0 hspace="4" vspace="4" align="left" src=http://www.tobaccochina.com/english/picture/20040817101251.jpg] Firstly, steps should taken to effectively guarantee the fulfillment of leaf tobacco sales contracts, in order to stabilize leaf tobacco production and trade in China. So far this year, 3.65 million leaf tobacco sales contracts have been signed in China. In total, 3.5 billion yuan (421 million U.S. dollars) worth of investment has been made in supporting leaf tobacco production. It has been the largest annual sum of investment to this effect. Since the beginning of the year, 15.07 million mu (1 million hectares) of tobacco has been grown in China, an increase of 690,000 mu (46,000 hectares) over 2003. It is estimated that the leaf tobacco yield in China in 2004 will reach 33 million dan (1.65 million tons), an anticipated increase of 1.5 million dan (75,000 tons) over 2003. This will contribute to stabilizing leaf tobacco trade in China. Secondly, steps should be taken to strengthen supervision and law enforcement over leaf tobacco trade, to ensure that the State purchase of leaf tobacco will be conducted in orderly way in all the tobacco-growing regions in China. Thirdly, quality control should be strengthened in State purchase of leaf tobacco, in order that the quality of leaf tobacco purchased by the State will remain stable. Fourthly, efforts should be made to strengthen the application of advanced technology in leaf tobacco production, to improve the quality of leaf tobacco. And fifthly, steps should be taken to strengthen the development of infrastructure work for leaf tobacco production, to promote sustainable development of leaf tobacco production and trade in China. In China, tobacco is a government monopoly and the leaf tobacco trade is under the government's strict control. In his address, Zhao urged the tobacco-growing regions in China to manage to optimize the structure of resources, keep promoting sustainable development of leaf tobacco production and trade, straighten out relations between leaf tobacco producers and traders, establish a more effective leaf tobacco supply system, strengthen management in leaf tobacco production and adopt advanced modes of production. He also made initial arrangements for leaf tobacco production and trade in 2005. China National Leaf Tobacco Corporation, also known as China National Leaf Tobacco Production, Purchase and Sales Corporation, is the leaf tobacco trade arm under the STMA. Enditem