Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/1543154
Tobacco Asia 57 high‑quality raw materials, alleviates pressure from shortages of premium leaves, and promotes the ef‑ ficient allocation of tobacco leaf resources. Both cases have established complete tech‑ nological closed‑loops of r&d ‑ demonstration ‑ promotion. Xuchang's model of "one‑time matu‑ rity harvesting & curing + industrial‑commercial collaboration" and China Tobacco (Hubei)'s technical system of "medium‑sized plant cultiva‑ tion + stalk harvesting & curing + nitrogen reduc‑ tion & sugar increase" provide replicable technical solutions for the industry. These innovations not only address the quality challenges of upper leaves but also drive the transformation of tobacco pro‑ duction from "experience‑based farming" to "sci‑ entific farming," accelerating the modernization of tobacco agriculture and injecting core momentum into high‑quality industrial development. The core competitiveness of premium cigarette brands stems from the stable supply of high‑quality raw materials. In the context of inten‑ sifying international tobacco market competition, the independent supply capacity of premium raw materials directly relates to the core competitive‑ ness of Chinese‑style cigarettes. The successful practices of Xuchang and China Tobacco (Hubei) help Chinese cigarette brands form differentiated competitive advantages and enhance their ability to withstand market risks. Tobacco cultivation is a vital pillar of the rural economy in many Chinese tobacco‑growing regions. The low usability of upper leaves led to low purchase prices, severely affecting farmers' income. Xuchang, through policy support and a quality‑and‑price‑oriented approach, and China Tobacco (Hubei), through technology extension, have effectively increased farmers' per‑mu income by several hundred yuan. This has boosted farm‑ ers' enthusiasm for growing tobacco and stabilized the tobacco cultivation area. Conclusion Currently, the Chinese tobacco industry is at a critical stage of high‑quality development, and en‑ hancing the usability of upper leaves remains a key direction for focused efforts. In the future, it is necessary to further summarize and promote the successful experiences of these two cases, deepen industrial‑commercial collaborative innovation, improve technical standard systems, and drive the development of upper leaves from "single‑point breakthroughs" to "systematic enhancement." It is believed that with the continuous empower‑ ment of technological innovation, Chinese‑style cigarettes will keep overcoming industrial devel‑ opment challenges, enhance core competitiveness, and lay a more solid raw material foundation for their high‑quality development.