Alliance One North America, a subsidiary of Alliance One International, was named the 2026 Exporter of the Year by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services during the state’s Agricultural Development Forum. The award recognizes the company’s role in expanding global markets and exporting high-quality U.S. leaf tobacco while supporting the state’s agricultural economy. State Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler highlighted the company’s contribution to maintaining North Carolina’s tobacco legacy and global competitiveness.
Blog
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Pyxus Reports Strong 3Q Results
Pyxus International reported third-quarter fiscal 2026 net income of $16.9 million, with adjusted EBITDA holding steady at $80 million, as increased shipping volumes and third-party processing offset lower leaf product revenues. Quarterly sales fell to $655.8 million from $778.3 million a year earlier, largely due to shipment timing and lower average pricing in South America. The company reaffirmed full-year guidance of $2.4 billion to $2.6 billion in net sales and $215 million to $235 million in adjusted EBITDA, while warning that strong global crop production could lead to oversupply heading into fiscal 2027.
Tobacco inventory at the end of the third quarter was $959.8 million, compared to $755.2 million at the same time last year, reflecting procurement of the larger current crops. Uncommitted inventory as a percentage of total processed tobacco remains unchanged from the prior year. At December 31, 2025, uncommitted inventory was $28 million, or 3.6%, of the $768.6 million in total processed inventory, compared to $21.9 million, or 3.6%, of total processed inventory of $603.3 million at December 31, 2024.
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Michigan Gov Proposes Major Tobacco Tax Hikes
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s 2026–27 budget proposal includes new and increased taxes on nicotine and tobacco products, imposing a 57% wholesale tax on vaping products and nicotine pouches, raising the tax on other tobacco products from 32% to 57%, and increasing the cigarette tax from $2 to $3 per pack. The measures are projected to generate about $232 million in additional annual revenue to support Medicaid, smoking cessation, and cancer prevention programs, and will be debated by state lawmakers in early 2026.
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PCA and ProCigar Partner
The Premium Cigar Association (PCA) and ProCigar announced a partnership agreement aimed at strengthening global collaboration within the premium cigar industry. The alliance will focus on supporting retailers, promoting premium cigar culture, expanding education initiatives across the supply chain, and enhancing international industry engagement between the U.S., the Dominican Republic, and other markets. As part of the partnership, ProCigar will return to exhibit at the PCA Trade Show, while a PCA delegation will attend the ProCigar Festival, reflecting efforts to deepen industry ties and jointly support promotional and educational programs.
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Russia Begins Shipping Tobacco to North Korea
Russia exported more than 110 tons of tobacco valued at over $700,000 to North Korea in 2025, according to estimates from the Agroexport federal center. The shipments mark the introduction of Russian tobacco products to the North Korean market, where they had not previously been supplied. The expansion formed part of broader growth in Russian agricultural exports to North Korea, which also included beer and rapeseed oil.
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PMI Heads to Present at CAGNY Feb. 18
Philip Morris International announced that Group CEO Jacek Olczak and CFO Emmanuel Babeau will deliver a presentation at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York (CAGNY) Conference on February 18, at 10 a.m. ET. The event will be broadcast via live audio webcast, with presentation slides available online, and a replay accessible for six months. The webcast can also be accessed through PMI’s Investor Relations mobile app.
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FDA PMTA Roundtable Being Held
Today (February 10), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is hosting its much-anticipated “Roundtable on Premarket Tobacco Application Submissions for Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems Products.” Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) director Dr. Matthew Farrelly offered his opening remarks, which led into the “product characterization” panel moderated by deputy director Dr. Todd Cecil.
Dr. Matthew Walters, Dr. Karen Coyne, Dr. Lynn Hull, and Dr. Carolina Ramôa rounded out the early sessions for FDA. Industry representatives said that unclear product characterization standards are limiting the long-term viability for smaller ENDS manufacturers, argued that the absence of objective, measurable benchmarks create uncertainty around PMTA compliance, and raised questions about defining testing ranges for open-system products and the ability to update long-pending PMTAs. FDA said it wants to create a dialogue with manufacturers, but statutory requirements constrain its regulatory flexibility.
The afternoon panels were led by Cecil, Dr. Benjamin Apelberg, Dr. Mollie Miller, Dr. Amy Gross, Dr. Mary Irwin, and Dr. Hans Rosenfeldt, and were still being held at the writing of this article. Tobacco Reporter will update the proceedings as the information becomes available.
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Qnovia Reports Positive Results in Phase 1 NRT Trial
Qnovia reported positive Phase 1 clinical results for RespiRx, a handheld inhalable nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) using a vibrating mesh nebulizer to deliver nicotine via a cool mist without combustion or heating. In a 2025 randomized crossover study involving 25 adult smokers, the device demonstrated cigarette-like nicotine absorption, reaching peak blood nicotine levels in about seven minutes while producing lower overall nicotine exposure than cigarettes and showing meaningful reductions in smoking cravings. No serious adverse events were reported, with only moderate cough noted. The technology aims to address limitations of traditional NRTs, which often deliver nicotine more slowly, and is being positioned as a potential new pharmaceutical smoking-cessation option pending further clinical testing and regulatory review.
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$13M Illicit Vape Factory Uncovered in Russia
Russian authorities shut down an illegal vape liquid production workshop in the Moscow region. During 20 searches of residences, warehouses, and offices, police seized four production lines, 600,000 reusable vape devices, raw materials, and over 2 million rubles plus around $400,000, with a total product value estimated at about 1 billion rubles ($13 million). The operation reportedly ran nonstop, producing up to 75,000 units per shift, which were then distributed regionally or stored in warehouses.
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South Korea Uses Post Office to Recycle Vapes
South Korea’s Postal Service launched a nationwide e-cigarette recycling program in partnership with Philip Morris Korea, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, and the Environment Foundation. Consumers can place used e-cigarette devices in special postal collection bags and drop them at post office counters or mailboxes, after which the devices are sent to recycling companies for safe processing. The initiative, which also collects waste medicines and disposable coffee capsules, aims to reduce environmental pollution, improve recycling rates, and leverage the postal network to provide an accessible, nationwide resource recovery system.