The export value of tobacco in India is expected to register high value this year, crossing ₹13,000 crores, up from figures more than 8 per cent higher than the previous years. This projection was echoed by Rajesh Agrawal, the Additional Secretary in the Department of Commerce, on Wednesday. He said that the Tobacco Board has been very keen and has adopted measures to assist farmers in order to enhance their incomes as the Board works towards increasing the healthy growth and expansion of the sector.
Tobacco occupies one of the leading places in the export structure of the Indian economy, ranking second only to China in terms of production. Also, the country is among the four largest producers of Flue-Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco, behind China, Brazil and Zimbabwe. India’s position in the world tobacco supply is also buttressed by its ranking as the second largest exporter of unmanufactured tobacco in the world after Brazil. Much of tobacco exports amount, to a large extent, to the country’s foreign exchange earnings.
For the fiscal year 2023-24, the export of tobacco from India was ₹12,005.89 crore (about USD 1.5 billion). Agrawal focused only on the positive growth, saying that tobacco farmers’ income doubled in the last five years, which is credited to the efforts of the Tobacco Board.
In its effort to ensure the sustainability of this sector, the Tobacco Board has embarked on several key activities. It comprises crop planning and the control of tobacco production in order to achieve local and export market requirements. Through offering intensive support to 80000-85000 registered farmers, the board assures that the tobacco produced herein meets the quality standards expected by importing nations. This support is very important in sustaining Indian competitiveness in the global tobacco market; the Indian tobacco industry has to wear off future challenges and grow in the future years.
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