China:Tobacco-Producing Region Renews Plans for Developing Modern Tobacco Agriculture

Source from:  TobaccoChina Online 03/30/2009

Southwest China's Yunnan Province - the largest tobacco producing region in China known as the kingdom of tobacco - has renewed its plans for the operation of pilot projects in 10 designated regions in 2009 leading to the development of a modern tobacco agriculture in the province, thanks to great importance attached by Yunnan Provincial Tobacco Monopoly Administration. Under the plans renewed, the 10 regions designated to operate pilot projects will have 647,000 mu (43,133 hectares) of basic farmland for growing tobacco, are planning to grow 278,000 mu (18,533 hectares) of tobacco in 2009, and are expected to sell 853,000 dan (42,650 tons) of leaf tobacco to the State in the year. The plans provide for the construction of 169 projects of irrigation for tobacco growing farmland, 82 leaf tobacco curing fields and 6,127 extensive curing barns, developing 181 mechanized farming paths measuring 276 kilometers, newly build 17 extensive tobacco seedlings development fields and seven hail suppression stations, and expand or rebuild four existing hail suppression stations in 2009. The plans also provide for the purchase of 153 set of deep ploughing machinery, 424 sets of ridge forming machinery, 115 sets of transplantation machinery, and 1,311 sets of plant protection machinery in the year. Under the plans, efforts will be made to explore on a full scale new ways of developing large specialized tobacco-growing households, family farms and specialized production cooperatives as three leading forms of organizations for leaf tobacco production. The plans foresee 100-percent specialization in the provision of services for tobacco seedlings development, tractor ploughing, plant protection, leaf tobacco curing, etc. So far, the operation of pilot projects in all the 10 designated regions has been going on smoothly. Enditem