Chinese Province Benefits Greatly From Tobacco Growing

Source from:  hubei  03/21/2005

Central China's Hubei Province, which is one of the major tobacco-producing regions in China, has benefited greatly from tobacco growing over recent years. In an address to a provincial-level leaf tobacco work conference held in the provincial capital city of Wuhan on March 15, Cao Shubin, director of Hubei Provincial Tobacco Monopoly Administration, said that leaf tobacco produced in Hubei are well marketable in China and has become a big choice for key Chinese tobacco manufacturers for producing high-quality, famous-brand cigarettes. "Changde Cigarette Factory, a key Chinese tobacco manufacturer in Hubei's neighboring Hunan Province, has chosen leaf tobacco produced in Enshi City of Hubei as an irreplaceable raw material for producing high-quality, famous-brand cigarettes," Cao said. Besides Wuhan Tobacco Group in Hubei, other key Chinese tobacco manufacturers, including such heavyweights as Shanghai Tobacco Group, Hongta Group, Honghe Cigarette Factory, Guangdong General Cigarette Factory, Changsha Cigarette Factory and Changde Cigarette Factory as well as those based in Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wuhu, Shenzhen and Huiyin cities, have been regular users of leaf tobacco produced in Hubei. Besides, Changde Cigarette Factory, Shanghai Tobacco Group and Wuhu Cigarette Factory have been operating tobacco plantations in Hubei to ensure stable supply. With favorable natural conditions and well-established infrastructure facilities, Hubei is at the fifth place among the 22 tobacco-producing region in China. Annually, Hubei grows some 750,000 mu (50,000 hectares) of tobacco and produces some 1.85 million dan (92,500 tons) of leaf tobacco. The annual tobacco yield of Hubei includes nearly 1.4 million dan (nearly 70,000 tons) of flue-cured tobacco, at the 9th place in China, 500,000 dan (25,000 tons) burley, at the 1st place, and nearly 40,000 dan (2,000 tons) of Maryland tobacco. It also includes Oriental tobacco and air-cured tobacco. Hubei is the only producer of Maryland tobacco in China. The province produces six varieties of tobacco, the most complete in China. Over recent years, Hubei has applied achievements of scientific-technological research to greatly improve the quality of leaf tobacco, contributing to significantly improving the quality and usability of leaf tobacco produced in the province. According to official statistics, tobacco production in Hubei generates 700 million yuan (84.3 million U.S. dollars) in income for farmers annually in the province. Enditem