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72 tobaccoasia Tobacco Asia The ONLY magazine written and edited for the Asia regional tobacco industry. Read and trusted by industry professionals around the world. Subscribe to Subscribe Now to Tobacco Asia and get a complete view of the tobacco industry. Rates 1 year $45 2 years $80 3 years $105 Published 5 times a year in full English and Chinese versions. To subscribe visit: tobaccoasia.com or email info@octobermultimedia.com October Inter Co. Ltd. Vanit Building 2, Room 1403A 1126/2 New Petchburi Rd, Bangkok 10400 THAILAND Tel +66 22 55 66 25, Fax +66 26 55 22 11 www.tobaccoasia.com tural economist. The result will be a likely drop from last season's robust prices, which averaged US$2.06 per pound for the 2013 crop, he said. A global supply-demand balance that once fa- vored Kentucky tobacco farmers now seems to be Lorillard's former headquarters in Greensboro, N.C., now ITG Brands offices turning against them. Burley growers reaped the benefits of strong prices a year ago in a market where tobacco companies seemed to snatch up all the leaf they could get. The outlook isn't nearly as upbeat now. Flue-cured growers got a bit of a break on the weather, even though it was about as cold as it comes at the same time. But since they harvest (or pull) in increments from the bottom of the stalk, less of their leaf was still in the field. Still, the crop was much delayed when Octo- ber rains started falling. Marty Adams and his son M.J. grow flue-cured in the Knightdale area just east of Raleigh. At mid season, they had what was clearly their best crop ever. But the rain turned it yellow and washed out much of the weight. Harvest was consider- ably delayed but Adams finished around the 15th. The ground stayed so wet that he had to park his mechanical harvester and finish the crop by hand. North of Raleigh, flue-cured grower Tom Shaw of Henderson, N.C., beat the frost by finish- ing pulling leaf on October 24. "We had a lot of water this season. The leaf is not the best quality, but the yield is good." He produced some excess beyond his contract but was able to sell it from his farm.