Azerbaijan’s tobacco growers are expected to harvest nearly 8 million kilos of tobacco leaf over this season, the country’s ministry of agriculture reports.
This is going to indicate a 20 per cent growth from the previous year. The crop is also being harvested at a higher pace than last year, 1.6 million kilos already picked by August, 58 per cent more from the same period of 2004. Tobacco leaf is mainly cultivated in the Sheki-Zagatala region. This year, the area under crop was increased by 20 per cent and totalled 3,000 hectares, with the harvesting to be completed in October. Azerbaijani leaf growers, known for their expertise in oriental-type leaf growing, are increasingly turning to Virginia and Burley, as essential components of the present-day tobacco blends used in cigarettes. (vt)