Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/1483036
52 tobaccoasia LEAF NEWS 烟叶新闻 Star Agritech International (SAI) Accelerates Its Presence in Africa Over the past 12 months, Star Agritech International (SAI) started investing significantly in the African continent. The company will be penetrating the African region with SAI's new office establishments in the field of tobacco, cut rag, and shisha tobacco. Africa is the remaining region for growth and offers tremendous commercial potential. SAI established offices in Egypt to handle the Egyptian market as well as the Middle East. The Cairo office is sup- ported by a fully-stocked tobacco storage depot in Alexandria. The company also expanded its Tunisian operations to integrate the entire African continent and is under its manage- ment. Tunisian projects include tobacco cultivation, threshing as well as a reconstituted tobacco factory. SAI will enter Zimbabwe in November 2022 with plans to establish a full-fledge operation for growing and threshing leaves. It is also establishing Star Cameroon in Yaoundé for cigar leaf tobacco procurement and cultivation. With more than 120 employees from 10 nationalities represented, the workforce at SAI is now at its largest since its establishment 14 years ago. SAI currently operates two recon factories in Brazil and one in Indonesia. SAI is an expert at identifying customer needs and providing products with the right features to help tobacco companies stand out in their industry. The versatility of SAI products piqued the interest of industry leaders. SAI operates in over 40 countries and has over 100 key accounts, with the goal of becoming the global leader in the production and sale of tobacco derivatives by 2025. It possesses priceless propri- etary technology and patents in this field. 37,000 Zimbabwe Farmers Deregistered Zimbabwe's Tobacco Industry Marketing Board (TIMB) deregistered 37,000 farmers this year on suspicions of side marketing last season after the farmers failed to deliver tobacco at any auction or contract selling points. Statutory Instrument 77 of 2022, published on April 15, led to the criminalization of tobacco side marketing. Any person participating in side marketing will be liable to a fine, imprisonment for up to six months, or both a fine and imprisonment. A total of 106,067 farmers were registered to grow tobac- co during the 2022/23 marketing season, an increase from last season's 80,069. Despite the large number of farmers being deregistered, TIMB said preparations for this farming season are progressing well with over 4,000 hectares of early irrigated tobacco being planted, a larger area than what was accomplished in the same period last year. Picking up the Pieces after Hurricane Ian Cuba is developing plans to begin the 2022-2023 harvest after Hurricane Ian ravaged Pinar del Rio province, the country's largest tobacco producer, destroying 80% of the infrastructure. Pinar del Rio contributes to over 70% of domestic tobacco production. According to Tabacuba Business Group president, Marino Murillo, there are pivotal tasks to take on, starting with collecting all tobacco protected in natural curing houses and warehouses. Of the country's 41,000 tons, 33,000 are in this province. In order to free-up these curing houses and ware- houses, 15,000-17,000 tons will be taken to other provinces while seedbed irrigation is urgently resumed. The next task to be completed is stripping houses and natural curing houses in good condition, recycling all available material as currently the most deficient element in the country is wood. Murillo stated that although the acreage to be covered in Pinar del Ro has not yet been determined, Cuba is still focused on growing the 15,000 hectares of crops that will be planted nationwide. The program in this province will be dependent on the potential for repairing and rebuilding curing houses. TRB Pushes Tobacco Value Chain Transformation Plan With farmers receiving training in float tray technology, less-energy-consuming barns, planned crop rotations, and improved tobacco varieties, the tobacco value chain is expect- ed to grow to a US$5 billion industry by 2025 as a result of Zimbabwe's Tobacco Research Board's (TRB) push for sustainable tobacco production. The Tobacco Value Chain Transformation Plan (TVCTP) is the result of TRB's efforts to promote sustainable intensification of tobacco production as well as to research and support the development of alternative crops in order to diversify farmer income. Dr. Cleopas Chinheya, TRB's head of plant health services, said, "The global market is now sensitive to how we produce our crop, using what chemical regimes, which labor practices, under what curing methods with all focusing on sustainable production, which averts deforestation." TRB researchers stated in a new transplanting guideline that it was crucial for farmers to choose tobacco varieties with a track record in their regions. Further advice from TRB include suggesting that an ideal, ready-to-transplant float seedling should be 8-12 centimeters in height and have a stem that is 6-8 millimeters thick with a robust rooting system, and that seedlings must be well-hardened to maximize survival upon introduction to the harsh environmental conditions in the field. According to Chinheya "TRB is advocating for less chemical usage through integrated pest management system, cultural management practices inclusion as well as use of softer, greener chemicals. To aid this, varieties from TRB has resistance to nine diseases, coupled with cultural pest manage- ment the pests and diseases threat can be reduced to non-inju- rious levels." BAT Zimbabwe Exports up 74% Due to an increase in demand abroad, British American Tobacco (BAT) Zimbabwe saw a 74% increase in cut rag tobacco shipments.