US Tobacco Cooperative acquired a 144,000 sq ft marketing centre in Smithfield, North Carolina as part of a strategy to lower its green conversion costs, the growers' association said.

USTC has been operating the facility, which serves more than 200 coop growers. “The Cooperative’s long term strategy is to own market centres in key tobacco regions with the goal of lowering its green conversion costs,” the cooperative said. The centre purchased nearly 14 million pounds of flue-cured tobacco last year.