Chinese Province Adopts Rules for Supporting Tobacco Production

Source from:  Shaanxi Daily newspaper 04/05/2005

Shaanxi Province – a large tobacco-producing region in northwest China – has recently adopted a set of administrative rules for supporting tobacco production in the province. The Rules of Shaanxi Province for Managing Policies on Supporting Flue-Cured Tobacco Production in 2005 particularly provides that the government will levy 50 yuan (6 U.S. dollars) on the sales income from each dan (50 kilograms) of high- or medium-grade leaf tobacco in the province in 2005, and the levy will be used for purchasing supplies for further tobacco production, in an effort to arouse the enthusiasm of local farmers for growing tobacco. The rules provides for unified standards for supporting tobacco production in the province, unified extension of material support, unified accounting for the extension of support and unified management of support. Under the rules, the levy on the leaf tobacco sales income shall be exclusively used for supporting the development of tobacco seedlings and purchasing agricultural film, fertilizers, coal and other material supplies that will be extended to local farmers for further tobacco production. The rules provides that any policy for supporting tobacco production shall be brought under the supervision of the tobacco company at a higher level, the local government and the farmers concerned. To ensure that the material supplies extended by the government for supporting tobacco production will be delivered to the farmers concerned, Shaanxi Provincial Tobacco Monopoly Administration, which doubles as the provincial tobacco company, will apply a system of four minimum standards for supporting tobacco production in the province: Firstly, the farmers concerned will be given free fine tobacco seeds; free nourishing bag, ground substances and film for floating development of tobacco seedlings; free nourishing bags for two-stage development of tobacco seedlings and free pesticides for seedbed management. Secondly, each mu (0.067 hectare) of tobacco plantation will be provided with 50 kilograms of special fertilizer for tobacco growing at half the normal price and also 10 kilograms of potassium nitrate free of charge. Thirdly, the farmers concerned will be given free agricultural film for tobacco growing. And fourthly, the farmers concerned will be sold coal for tobacco production at preferential prices set in accordance with the situation of resources. The provincial tobacco monopoly administration requires tobacco companies at all levels in the province to issue free and preferential support ration cards to all the farmers concerned. County-level tobacco companies in Shaanxi will be specifically responsible for distributing the free and preferential supplies to the farmers concerned in accordance with the terms of the contracts signed. Meanwhile, leaf tobacco purchase stations across the province will guide the farmers concerned to earnestly use the free and preferential supplies for tobacco production. Enditem