Star Enters Turkish FVC and Burley Markets

Following the Turkish government’s decision that all cigarettes produced in Turkey for sale in Turkey must contain 30 percent of Turkish tobacco, Star Agritech International (SAI) has decided to enter the market for locally grown flue-cured Virginia (FCV) and burley tobaccos commencing with the 2022 season.

Based on current cigarette consumption, local manufacturers will require between 25,000 to 30,000 tons per year of locally produced FCV and burley. SAI has therefore opened its agricultural branch office in Mus, Turkey, as the project center.

The office is adjacent to the Turkish Tobacco Cooperative Union on which SAI will lean heavily for tobacco production by its farmer members.

SAI’s project envisages the cultivation 5,000 tons of cured tobacco by 2025, the creation of 110,000-square-meter industrial park encompassing green leaf storage, curing barns, a green leaf threshing line, a hand stripping center, a processed leaf warehouse, a CRES line, a recon line and administration offices.

The complex is slated for phased completion in 2022 and 2023. The project will be initially managed by Yagiz Turk assisted on the technical front by Furkan Aslan and on the leaf front by Gokhan Akca. Other Istanbul functions will provide support as required.

The project is SAI’s second direct involvement in tobacco cultivation after its Cameroon cigar leaf plantations. It is projected stimulate the regional economy and create employment.