Tobacco exports plume northwards

India's tobacco exports rose 14 per cent to Rs 1,345.83 crore ($302.10 million) in 2004-05, from Rs 1,175 crore in 2003-04.

In quantity terms, it was up 6 per cent to 1,59,809 tonne from 1,50,962 tonne.

The exports this year comprised 1,35,035 tonne of unmanufactured tobacco (worth Rs 952.55 crore) and 24,774 tonne of tobacco products valued at Rs 393.28 crore.

Tobacco Board chairman P Dayachari said here recently that 24,774 tonne of tobacco products were exported in 2004-05 compared with 22,776 tonne in 2003-04.

These included 7,190 tonne of cigarettes (6,050 tonne in 2003-04), 1,062 tonne of bidis (1,029 tonne in 2003-04), 10,600 tonne of hookah tobacco paste (10,534 tonne in 2003-04), 3,778 tonne of chewing tobacco (2,944 tonne), 2,034 tonne of cut tobacco (2,103 ton) and 110 tonne of other products (116 tonne).

The Tobacco Board has entered into a three-year supply pact with Eastern Company, SAE, Egypt. The company's delegation led by its chairman has already visited the tobacco growing areas in Andhra Pradesh.

Eastern, which manufactures 72 billion cigarettes a year, would identify 10-12 exporters and purchase tobacco from them.

The Tobacco Board is expecting bulk orders from the Eastern in a couple of months. Samples produced by prospective exporters would be tested by the board experts and sent to Egypt soon.

Meantime, west Europe imported 40,740 tonne (Rs 339.2 crore) of tobacco, which was the maximum followed by east European nations buying 42,031 tonne (Rs 253.96 crore). South Asian and South East Asian countries lifted 22,014 tonne of tobacco (Rs 157.07 crore), and African firms purchased 15,569 tonne (123.27 crore).

Dayachari said that the West Asian countries purchased 9,710 tonne of tobacco (Rs 42.77 crore), north America and south America 3,824 tonne (Rs 22.99 crore) and Australia 1,147 tonne (Rs 13.30 crore).

Russia bought 27,381 tonne of unmanufactured tobacco while Belgium purchased 12,807 tonne, Egypt 7,594 tonne, UK 8,149 tonne, Yemen 7,418 tonne, Ukraine 6,786 tonne, Nepal 5,364 tonne, Germany 6,165 tonne, DPR Korea 4,476 tonne and France 4,054 tonne.