Ahead of Flue Cured Virginia (FCV) Tobacco auctions in Andhra Pradesh, Tobacco Board is moving in to fill the gap and narrow bridges with its global customers. The FCV Tobacco auctions for the year 2015-2016 will commence on March 11 on six Southern Light Soil (SLS) auction platforms.
A two-day exhibition displaying 225 leaf samples of FCV Tobacco of various grades and soil types organised by the Board on the premises of Indian Tobacco Association (ITA) hall here during March 9-10 evoked a good response from the global trade players.
``The exhibition is a miniature of FCV Tobacco crop covering various soil regions. Global traders can have a feel of the flavour and chemistry of FCV leaf samples. The Board is moving towards clean Tobacco free from chemical residues and we have made a substantial progress is producing clean Tobacco,’’ Chairman of Tobacco Board, Koothati Gopal told The Hindu.
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The exhibition covered seven varieties of FCV Tobacco cultivated in 1.08 lakh hectares in Guntur, Prakasam and West Godavari Districts. The Board has fixed an authorised crop size of 172 Million kg for the year 2015-2016. Global traders said that they were satisfied with the display of various FCV tobacco leaf samples on a single platform.
``The exhibition helped us to have a feel of texture and flavour of Tobacco which is essential before we decide on the quantity to buy,’’ said Kurjai from Universal Tobacco company.
The Board is also embarking on a global expedition to showcase FCV tobacco. In the third week of March, a delegation of Board officials and traders would be visiting Egypt to be followed by business trips to Thailand and Taiwan, the three major global markets for Indian Tobacco.
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The Board is keen on setting a new record in Tobacco exports. It had already hit $1 billion mark in exports for the year 2014-2015 and though revenue from exports was expected to fall short of Rs.7,000-crore target, the Board is keen on tapping new and emerging markets.
Executive Director of Board C.V. Subba Rao, ITA president Mittapalli Umamaheswara Rao, leading tobacco trader Maddi Lakshmaiah, board vice chairman Tadisetty Murali Mohan were present.