Flue Cured Virginia (FCV) Tobacco

Government of India recently permitted the sale of Flue Cured Virginia (FCV) Tobacco on Tobacco and waived off penalty on sale of excess production by registered growers.

About Flue Cured Virginia (FCV) Tobacco:

• It is a type of Tobacco mainly produced in India, especially Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
• It uses Black Soils and Southern Light Soils of Andhra Pradesh.

Need for curing tobacco:

• Wet, green tobacco leaves contain excessive moisture and chlorophyll, making them unsuitable for smoking.
• Curing dries out the leaves, releasing chlorophyll and enhancing flavor and scent.
• This allows the natural tannins in tobacco leaves to develop, imparting flavor and aroma to the smoked tobacco.

Key Characteristics of FCV Tobacco:

• It is known for its neutral color filler character in the export market with low nicotine.
• The tobacco blends well with any tobacco in cigarette manufacturing.
• It is primarily used for cigarette tobacco production.
• FCV contains high sugar content, and medium to high levels of nicotine content.
• It is rich in natural tannins, resulting in a mild, slightly sweet flavor and aroma.

Impact on Agriculture and Communities:

• The State Government of Karnataka has declared drought in all except 2 FCV Tobacco growing taluks that affected the livelihood of FCV Tobacco growers.
• The Michaung cyclone had caused heavy rains in Andhra Pradesh and severely damaged FCV tobacco crop grown in Eluru, East Godavari, Kakinada, Prakasam, Nellore, etc.
• Around 20% of the total planted area had  been affected due to these heavy rains.
• The FCV tobacco crop has been impacted by washing out of crop, drowning of standing crop, water logging and resultant wilting of standing crop.
• Due to this, the Government permitted the sale of FCV Tobacco on Tobacco Boards auction platform.
• This was after waiving off the penalty on the sale of excess production of registered growers and unauthorized production of unregistered growers.

About Tobacco Board:

• It is a statutory body established under the Tobacco Board Act of 1975.
• It functions under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• The primary aim is to promote the orderly development of the tobacco industry, ensure fair prices for tobacco growers, and regulate tobacco trade in India.
• It oversees various aspects of tobacco cultivation, production, export, and quality standards of tobacco.
• The Board is managed at Guntur, Andhra Pradesh with regional offices in chief tobacco producing states including Karnataka, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar.
• It is headed by a Chairperson and consists of members representing tobacco industry, including tobacco growers, manufacturers, traders, and government officials.

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