Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/550304
tobaccoasia 31 How Can Sharing Knowledge Help Shape a Brighter Future? Through practical training in best agronomic practices on AOI model farms, Producers in India learn ways to improve the safety of their operation while maximizing quality, yield and net income. It's part of our commitment to unite the world under One Vision of action-oriented social responsibility. See Our Vision for Positive Change AOIsustainability.com ACTION-ORIENTED SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ACTION-ORIENTED SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Sichuan has seen an increase in cigar leaf tobacco varieties as soil and climate conditions similar to those of the world's traditional high-quality cigar leaf tobacco-producing regions, including Cuba and Dominica. As the basic conditions are already present, provided they make the required efforts, these regions will be able to produce high-quality cigar leaf tobacco with the expected remarkable characteristics. It is a common appeal from the cigar making sector in China that the future supply of raw materials of home-manufactured cigar leaf tobacco is guaranteed. These regions will provide sustainable support for domestic production of high-quality cigars. Hainan gains a producing base In March, 2013, China Cigar Leaf Tobacco Model Growing Base held a high-profile ceremony to mark its opening at Guangcun Cigar Leaf Tobacco Growing Base. The operation is in Guangcun Township in the ecologically favorable Danzhou City in north- western Hainan. The base, covering a total area of 3,000 mu or 200 hectares (ha), was established with investment from the Hainan Jianheng Havana Cigar Company, which operates and manages the site. It is China's only cigar leaf tobacco growing base that produces the largest-sized cigar wrappers. The base has essential infrastructure facilities such as a tobacco seedlings develop- ment zone, a research and development zone, temporary fermentation workshops, tem- porary storages, air-curing sheds and leaf tobacco grading workshops. It has developed serial cigar leaf tobacco varieties with self-owned intellectual prop- erty rights, filling a gap in producing cigar wrappers in China. Moreover, the quality of cigar leaf tobacco produced by the base has reached advanced world levels, and has won high comments from both cigar makers and tobacco experts. The base has played a major role in redressing China's heavy reliance on imported leaf tobacco for high-end cigar products. It was reported that Hainan Province has been test-growing cigar leaf tobacco in all parts of the island since 1998. As a result of efforts over the past 12 years, Hainan "[Through the cigar leaf industry] Chen has increased his income 25 times to 100,000 yuan (US$16,390) each year"