Tobacco Board

Tobacco is an important commercial crop grown in India. It occupies the third position in the world with an annual production of about 725 Million Kgs. Of the different types grown, flue-cured tobacco, country tobacco, burley, bidi, rustica and chewing tobacco are considered important. India, as an exporter of tobacco, ranks sixth in the world next to Brazil, China, USA, Malawi and Italy.Tobacco and tobacco products earn a whopping annual sum of about Rs.10271 crores to the national exchequer by way of excise revenue, and Rs.2022 Crores (2006-07) by way of foreign exchange. Furthermore, tobacco is a source of gainful employment. Several lakhs of people thrive on this weed crop.Flue-cured growth, with an annual production of about 300 million Kgs, is the singular type, which contributes huge amount of forex and excise earnings. More or less, 50% of the FCV tobacco produced is consumed domestically while the rest is exported to more than 100 countries across the globe. Other tobacco types viz., Burley, Country tobacco, Chewing tobaccos (Lal chopadia, Judi and Rustica) are also exported whereas bidi tobacco - a poor man's smoke - is consumed only within the country.