Star Agritech is expanding its global operations.
Headquartered in Istanbul, the company has begun constructing a reconstituted tobacco factory in Bizerte, Tunisia. The new facility will be the company’s fourth such operation worldwide.
Comprising two plants with an annual capacity of 1.2 million kg each, the factory is the first of its kind in the region. The facility will serve the domestic market and may expand its business to serve customers in Morocco and Algeria, depending on the success of the operation.
Star Agritech expects the new factory to be operational by the middle of 2023. Prior to announcing the new recon facility, Star Agritech established offices in Tunisia, Egypt and South Africa. The Tunisian office will assume responsibility for Star’s business in north Africa, the Sahel and west Africa.
In November 2022, Star Agritech established Star Agritech Commodities Trading in Yaounde, Cameroon, to strengthen its cigar leaf growing and sourcing operations in Bartouri and Bertoua. The Cameroonian facility will also implement sourcing at the farm gate for Cameroonian cacao and coffee.
In December, Star Agritech set up shop in New Delhi to further develop its sourcing of Indian tobacco. In the same month it incorporated Star Agritech Zimbabwe to enter the domestic market for flue-cured Virginia tobaccos. Star Zimbabwe will participate in the 2023 marketing season, which kicked off March 8.
Meanwhile, Star Agritech has set up a company in Norfolk, Virginia, USA to supply the North American market with tobacco and tobacco derivatives.
The company believes its nano fiber reconstituted tobacco, which can help cigarette manufacturers reduce their products’ tar and nicotine levels, has considerable potential in the United States, given the Food and Drug Administration’s intention to mandate reduced levels of nicotine in tobacco products.