Argentine Delegation Visits Hongyun Honghe Group

11/24/2008

A high-level delegation from Jujuyi Tobacco Growers Cooperation Co., Ltd. in Argentina led by its president and Board of Directors chairman visited the newly incorporated Hongyun Honghe Tobacco Group in southwest China’s tobacco-producing Yunnan Province on November 11, and held talks with leaders of Hongyun Honghe on cooperation between the two sides. At the talks, Vice-President Wu Yi of Hongyun Honghe briefed the Argentine delegation on the production capacity, coverage of products, tobacco manufacturing and trade of Hongyun and Hongyun Tobacco Group, which was inaugurated on November 8 on the basis of merger between the former Hongyun Group and Honghe Group in Yunnan in the ongoing structural reform of China’s tobacco industry. Wu pointed out that one of the bases supporting continued development of Hongyun Honghe will be the supply of quality raw materials, saying that besides purchasing leaf tobacco grown in China, the tobacco group is also planning to import high-quality leaf tobacco from other countries, and that Argentina leaf tobacco will be a top choice for Hongyun Honghe, which will be an indispensable support raw material for cigarette production by Hongyun Honghe. The predecessors of Hongyun Honghe began to import leaf tobacco from Argentina in 2006. Because of its fine month feel, leaf tobacco imported from Argentina was mainly used for producing cigarettes of the Yunyan brand. Cigarettes produced with leaf tobacco grown locally and imported from Argentina are of a better quality and have been well received at the marketplace, according to Wu. So far, the predecessors of Hongyun Honghe and the newly incorporated group have purchased up to 1,000 tons of leaf tobacco from Argentina. Wu said that Hongyun Honghe is willing to strengthen cooperation and exchange with Jujuyi in a more in-depth way, and increase the import and use of leaf tobacco supplied by Jujuy. During the visit, leaders of Jujuy and Hongyun Honghe held in-depth discussions on efforts to strengthen cooperation between the two sides, on the production technology and physical-chemical indexes of Argentina leaf tobacco, and also on the use of Argentina leaf tobacco for cigarette production by Hongyun Honghe. Enditem