TobaccoReporter logo

Category: Agriculture & Sustainability

  • July Rains Help N.C. Tobacco Crop Rebound

    July Rains Help N.C. Tobacco Crop Rebound

    Extension agents in Wilson County, North Carolina, said that heavy July rainfalls revived a drought-stressed flue-cured tobacco crop after prolonged dry conditions in May and June delayed crop development by an estimated two to three weeks. Officials said the rain restored soil moisture, allowing tobacco plants to absorb nitrogen and improve growth, although the later maturity is expected to push harvesting closer to the risk of early frost.

    Growers across Wilson, Nash, and Johnston counties reported significant improvement in crop conditions, with many saying the tobacco has recovered dramatically following the rains. While producers remain optimistic about yield potential, they cautioned that saturated fields and the increased risk of disease could complicate harvest as the Wilson tobacco market prepares to open on August 12.

    These counties are the heart of North Carolina’s tobacco crop, which, at an average of 100 to 120 million pounds, typically makes up 55% to 65% of total U.S. production.

  • PMFTC Remains Top Buyer of Philippine Tobacco

    PMFTC Remains Top Buyer of Philippine Tobacco

    Philippines’ National Tobacco Administration (NTA) recognized Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corporation as the largest buyer of Philippine-grown tobacco for the third consecutive year, highlighting the company’s continued support for the country’s tobacco farming sector. In 2025, PMFTC purchased 8.3 million kg of locally grown tobacco — 69% of the 12.1 million kilograms delivered to domestic manufacturers. NTA Administrator Belinda Sanchez said PMFTC’s sustained buying provides tobacco farmers with a stable and reliable market, particularly as the industry prepares for a challenging growing season.

    PMFTC said it remains committed to investing in long-term partnerships with farmers, trading partners, and government agencies to strengthen the Philippine tobacco value chain and help keep locally grown tobacco competitive in domestic and international markets.

  • Zimbabwe Tobacco Farmers Deliver More, But See 24% Revenue Drop

    Zimbabwe Tobacco Farmers Deliver More, But See 24% Revenue Drop

    Zimbabwe’s 2026 tobacco marketing season closed with farmers delivering 353.8 million kg of tobacco, a 2% increase from the previous season, driven primarily by contract sales, according to the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB). Despite higher production, industry revenues fell 24% year over year to $882.5 million as the average selling price declined from $3.33/kg to $2.49/kg.

    The season also saw a 46% increase in rejected bales, highlighting quality challenges that TIMB said will be a key focus ahead of the next production cycle as the industry works to improve farmer returns and support Zimbabwe’s long-term goal of expanding the tobacco sector into a $7 billion industry.

  • Philippines Tightening Controls on Growers After 27% Surplus

    Philippines Tightening Controls on Growers After 27% Surplus

    The Philippine National Tobacco Administration (NTA) is tightening production controls for the 2026-2027 planting season following a tobacco leaf surplus in the previous crop year. Citing a volatile global buyers’ market, NTA Administrator Belinda Sanchez said the agency will emphasize contract growing, premium leaf quality, and production aligned with market demand to protect growers from oversupply and rejected crops.

    The NTA is encouraging the country’s approximately 35,000 uncontracted tobacco farmers to join its Tobacco Contract Growing System, after reporting that flue-cured Virginia tobacco production exceeded purchase commitments by about 27% (5 million kg) last season. The agency is also promoting soil-area matching requirements to improve leaf quality and better meet buyer specifications.

  • Pakistan Warns Companies Against Delaying Tobacco Purchase

    Pakistan Warns Companies Against Delaying Tobacco Purchase

    The Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB) warned tobacco companies and dealers to immediately begin purchasing flue-cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco or face enforcement action under the PTB Ordinance of 1968. In a notice to the industry, the board said companies had failed to open buying centers within the July 8-11 procurement window established under the Marketing Control Rules, 2016, putting them in violation of the regulations.

    PTB directed companies to begin purchases and submit compliance reports within three days. The warning follows last year’s delayed buying season, when some manufacturers and dealers waited until tobacco was declared surplus before purchasing at lower prices, a practice growers say resulted in significant financial losses.

  • Zimbabwe Cracking Down on Illegal Tobacco Seed Varieties

    Zimbabwe Cracking Down on Illegal Tobacco Seed Varieties

    Zimbabwe launched a coordinated crackdown on the cultivation of illegal tobacco varieties as part of its strategy to grow the sector into a $7 billion industry. Authorities warned that growers using unregistered seed face prosecution and destruction of their crops, citing recent convictions of farmers growing the banned KamuZambia variety, including one producer fined $10,000 after DNA testing confirmed the violation.

    Officials said illegal varieties threaten export markets, product quality, and Zimbabwe’s reputation for premium tobacco, as the country targets annual production of 500 million kg under its Tobacco Value Chain Transformation Strategy. Industry stakeholders are also urging merchant buyers to reject illegal tobacco, expand access to certified seed, and strengthen enforcement through DNA testing, inspections, and grassroots reporting networks.

  • Alliance One’s New Seeds Transforming Tanzanian Yields

    Alliance One’s New Seeds Transforming Tanzanian Yields

    Tobacco farmers in Tanzania’s Tabora Region are reporting higher yields and improved incomes following the introduction of proprietary Alliance One Varieties (AOV) tobacco seeds by Alliance One Tobacco Tanzania Limited. Farmers said the new varieties, including AOV 212, AOV 405, and AOV 815, produce higher-quality leaf, offer greater resistance to disease and drought, and significantly outperform traditional seed varieties. According to growers, yields have increased from about 1,350 kg per hectare with conventional seeds to 3,000–3,500 kg per hectare with the new varieties.

    Alliance One said the seeds were developed through extensive research, with field trials conducted in collaboration with the Tanzania Tobacco Research Institute (TORITA), producing yields of more than 3,200 kg per hectare. Industry stakeholders said the improved seed varieties could strengthen Tanzania’s tobacco sector by boosting farm productivity, improving export-quality leaf, increasing grower incomes, and supporting higher agricultural export revenues. 

  • Pakistani Tobacco Farmers Question Excessive Taxes

    Pakistani Tobacco Farmers Question Excessive Taxes

    Pakistan’s tobacco industry is raising concerns over the sector’s growing tax burden and the use of development funds collected from tobacco producers, arguing that multiple levies are increasing costs without delivering promised benefits to farming communities. Industry officials highlighted three major taxes — the Federal Excise Duty (FED), Federal Tobacco Cess (FTC), and Tobacco Development Cess (TDC) — noting that the advance FED on green leaf tobacco currently stands at Rs390 ($1.40) per kg, while the TDC in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has risen from Rs6 per kilogram in 2023 to Rs27.5 ($0.02 to $0.10) per kg.

    Although the TDC is legally earmarked for infrastructure, agricultural development, and farmer welfare in tobacco-growing districts, industry representatives say an estimated Rs6 billion ($18 million) collected over the past two years has produced little visible improvement, prompting calls for greater transparency and accountability in how the funds are allocated and spent.

  • ITGA Chief Calls for Better Incomes for Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Farmers

    ITGA Chief Calls for Better Incomes for Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Farmers

    Outgoing International Tobacco Growers Association (ITGA) President José Javier Aranda called on the Zimbabwe government, merchants, and contractors to prioritize farmers’ livelihoods, warning that the long-term sustainability of the global tobacco industry depends on growers earning a living income. Speaking at the ITGA Africa Regional Meeting 2026 in Harare, Aranda said tobacco farmers continue to bear rising production costs, climate-related risks, and increasing regulatory pressures while receiving shrinking returns, despite value creation elsewhere in the supply chain.

    Zimbabwe Agriculture Minister Anxious Masuka, speaking as both a government official and tobacco farmer, acknowledged that this season’s prices had been disappointing and noted production costs have risen about 90% since 2017, calling for targeted farmer support and measures to improve profitability. The meeting, which concludes this week, also highlighted concerns that oversupply is squeezing contractors and financiers, with delegates urging greater collaboration across the industry to strengthen grower incomes and ensure a sustainable future for the sector.

  • Zambia Tobacco Sales Near $105M Through 11 Weeks

    Zambia Tobacco Sales Near $105M Through 11 Weeks

    Zambia’s tobacco industry generated more than $104.9 million in cumulative sales through Week 11 of the 2026 marketing season, according to the Tobacco Board of Zambia. Farmers sold 51.96 million kg of tobacco during the period, led by 44.45 million kg of flue-cured Virginia tobacco, which generated $87.34 million at an average price of $1.97 per kg. Air-cured Burley tobacco sales totaled 7.51 million kg, earning $17.63 million at a higher average price of $2.35 per kg.