India exported tobacco and tobacco products worth INR 9,740 crore (USD 1.17 billion) during 2022-23, with a major contribution coming from FCV and Burley, reports The Hindu.

Speaking at the 23rd edition of the Tobacco Institute of India’s (TII) Tobacco Farmers’ awards ceremony at Periyapatna director Sharad Tandan said India’s leaf tobacco exports hit a record high during 2022-23, both in terms of volume and value.
Alhough India is the world’s third largest producer of FCV tobacco, the most remunerative variety with a huge export demand, FCV accounts for only about 25 per cent of the country’s total tobacco production. However, FCV contributes around 70 per cent of India’s overall leaf tobacco exports in value terms. “We can attain newer heights in tobacco exports if we harness the tremendous export potential of tobacco by aligning our exports with the global demand,” Tandan said.
Despite accounting for 13 per cent of world tobacco production, India accounts for only 5 per cent value of global tobacco leaf exports. “It exports only 30 per cent of the tobacco produced in the country whereas other leading tobacco-growing countries viz. Brazil, USA, and Zimbabwe export between 60-90 per cent of their production,” he said.
Tandan also expressed serious concern over the decline in FCV tobacco production in India from a high of 316 million kg in 2013-14 to 189 million kg in 2021-22, resulting in an estimated loss of 35 million man-days of employment in tobacco-growing regions. This massive drop in tobacco production in India has incentivised competitive leaf-producing countries like Brazil, Zimbabwe, Vietnam etc. to increase their production of leaf tobacco-substituting Indian tobaccos in the world market, he said.