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  • Voedsel To Set Up Leaf-Processing Plant

    Voedsel To Set Up Leaf-Processing Plant

    Photo: Taco Tuinstra

    Voedsel Tobacco International will set up a $6 million leaf-processing plant in Rusape, Zimbabwe, this year, reports Bulls n Bears.

     “We have purchased the material to set up a tobacco-processing plant for the value addition of tobacco,” said Voedsel’s commercial director, Tennyson Hwandi.

    “This process involves beneficiating the tobacco from its state into a semi-finished product. It also means that there is going to be more earnings for the farmers as we grow the value chain. As an indigenous company, we are proud to have achieved this as this creates new jobs.”

     Hwandi said the plant is expected to start operations this year.

     Voedsel’s investment is in line with the government’s Tobacco Transformation Plan, which aims to grow the Zimbabwean tobacco industry to $5 billion by 2023 by increasing the level of value-added tobacco to 30 percent from the current 2 percent.

  • Dahlia Garwe to Leave Tobacco Research Board

    Dahlia Garwe to Leave Tobacco Research Board

    Photo: Taco Tuinstra

    After eight years at the helm of Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Research Board (TRB), Dahlia Garwe is leaving the institution to pursue other interests.

    Garwe joined the TRB in 1991 as a research officer in the analytical chemistry department. In 2003, she became a divisional coordinator, and in 2009, she was named assistant general manager of research and extension. In 2012, Garwe was appointed acting general manager, and in 2014, she became the TRB’s first female CEO.

    In an interview with The Herald, Garwe reflected on the TRB’s achievements during her tenure. Despite the challenging economic environment, the institution continued to record surpluses thanks to several income-generating initiatives, such as the seed potato project.

    During Garwe’s time at TRB, the institute’s scientists contributed significantly to international tobacco conferences and congresses, with quite a few of them assuming leadership roles in various international tobacco research bodies.

    The TRB also released several new tobacco varieties, eight of which were released, including to other countries, such as Ethiopia, Rwanda and Tanzania.

    Confronted with declining tobacco consumption, the TRB has also been exploring alternative crops, such as industrial hemp, in Zimbabwe.

    Asked why she was leaving the TRB, Garwe cited Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson, a self-help book that encourages readers to adapt to change. According to Zimbabwe’s Public Corporate Governance Act, Garwe must retire within the next two years as her 10 years in office will be up.

    “In the interim, I received a really exciting offer from a local agricultural player, which will allow me further growth,” Garwe told The Herald. “I decided to take it, and I am relishing the new challenge. I will miss TRB, but I am ready to move on.”

  • Greening the Golden Leaf

    Greening the Golden Leaf

    Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive

    Independent leaf merchants are working to improve the sustainability of tobacco cultivation.

    By Stefanie Rossel

    With only eight more years to go until most of the United Nations (U.N.) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are to be achieved, sustainability is becoming ever more critical in the tobacco sector.

    “In recent years, we have seen sustainability grow in importance to a point where it is addressed in almost all key internal and external engagements,” notes Mat Wilde, head of group sustainability at Contraf-Nicotex-Tobacco (CNT), a Germany-based company involved in the worldwide growing, sourcing, developing, processing, extracting and producing of leaf tobacco, nicotine and natural ingredients, among other agriculturally derived products.

    Set up in 2015 by the U.N. General Assembly, the SDGs comprise 17 goals designed to be a “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.” Goals include the elimination of poverty and hunger, quality education, health and well-being, gender equality, clean water and sanitation as well as the reduction of inequality, responsible consumption and climate action.

    While the leading international tobacco manufacturers in 2016 launched the Sustainable Tobacco Program (STP), an initiative that operates in more than 52 countries and gathers data on more than 180 suppliers of tobacco across 5 million smallholders, independent leaf merchants have also intensified their endeavors to support tobacco growers in their work toward more sustainable production.

    “I have always supported the growers,” says Rick Smith, founder of Wilson, North Carolina, USA-based Independent Leaf Tobacco Co. “They must be made whole for the industry to thrive. I have stepped up my efforts recently, certainly on types in short supply.”

    CNT works directly with its stakeholders on its sustainability efforts and supports its farmers in implementing best practices. “At the core of our approach with our farmers is our training program, where we aim to train growers on both the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ of sustainability topics,” says Wilde. “Understanding the context in each local operation, the root cause of prioritized issues and ensuring farmer financial sustainability is embedded within our programs. All are vital in working with our farmers to meet our common goals. Integrating key stakeholders, including farmers, farmer organizations, community, nongovernmental organizations and experts, within our projects and programs increases the impact and level of success.”

    Rick Smith

    Creating Awareness

    In a world characterized by declining smoking rates, sustainability includes ensuring financial viability for tobacco growers. For this reason, Norton Leaf Tobacco (NLT) of Zimbabwe educates its farmers on the need for diversification. “The government of Zimbabwe has introduced initiatives such as pfumvudza, a farming approach designed to maximize efficiency of labor and input resources,” explains NLT General Manager Alice Mukome Chiwanza. “NLT has field staff trained in the practice that ensures its farmers are able to increase both hectarage and yield of grains. Thus our officers are now training farmers to employ this method to encourage food security at [the] household level while assisting with the growing of the tobacco crop.”

    While NewCo Global Tobacco Trade and Service does not interact directly with farmers (it buys from partners and other leaf merchants), sustainability plays a key role in all of the German company’s activities. In September 2021, the company established NewCo Pro Services and Trade to handle the group’s diversification efforts and nontobacco activities.

    “This company’s main focus is to provide a proactive approach to global, social and environmental challenges as well as partner with entrepreneurs that have innovative solutions for a better future,” says Jose Maria Costa, senior executive advisor with NewCo Tobacco Services. “Through NewCo Pro Services and Trade, we are committed to doing our best efforts to make the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals a reality. As such, we are in the process to market Sydney 905 water filters globally. These filters have proved to be one of the most efficient ways to get safe water regardless of water source. By providing access to safe water, we eliminate the need to use charcoal, which in many parts of the world is used to boil the unsafe water.”

    NewCo has also started replacing the plastic bags that are still used in the tobacco industry for tobacco samples with more environmentally friendly alternatives. “Most of the plastic bags that are used today for storing and shipping tobacco samples are not biodegradable and therefore they are not environmentally friendly. After several months of research and testing, we have placed our first order for the new bags, which are made out of potato starch and are 100 percent compostable and food-certified. Our plan is to contact all our suppliers, vendors and customers and offer them the possibility to make the same change NewCo has made and contribute to a world that is more sustainable.”

    Jose Maria Costa

    New EU Anti-Deforestation Law

    Worldwide, regulatory pressure on tobacco and tobacco products continues to increase, also in terms of sustainability issues. On Nov. 17, 2021, the European Commission announced a plan to ban the sale of agricultural products raised on deforested and degraded lands. The move is an attempt to ensure forests around the world remain intact and continue to absorb carbon dioxide as they grow. According to the U.N., the world has lost 420 million hectares of forest in the past 30 years—an area larger than the EU. During the recent U.N. Climate Change Conference, more than 100 states pledged to end deforestation and land degradation by 2030. For the time being, the European Commission’s list targets soy, beef, palm oil, coffee, cocoa and wood; while tobacco is not part of the commodities mentioned, the draft leaves room for future amendments.

    In a 2017 report on the environmental impact of tobacco, the World Health Organization expressed concern about the impact that leaf cultivation has had on forests since the mid-1970s. The health body estimates that 11.4 million tons of wood are required annually for tobacco curing. After processing, additional wood is needed for the production of cigarette and rolling papers as well as for packaging. As tobacco requires lots of nutrients, with soils being leached after two years to three years, land extension leads to further forest depletion.

    Smith notes that regulation should strike a balance. “Any laws restricting free trade affect us all and are usually detrimental to the people they are intended to help,” he says.

    “The tobacco industry needs to act responsibly to ensure that sustainability is at the center of all its activities,” Costa says. “From the farmers to the cigarette manufacturers, the entire value chain needs to protect all natural resources, including the forest.”

    Newco has been marketing Sydney 905 water, which allow users to get safe water regardless of source. (Photo: NewCo)

    Comprehensive Measures

    NLT is a member of the Sustainable Afforestation Association (SAA), a Zimbabwean nonprofit organization funded by tobacco merchants that was established in 2013 (also see “Taking Root“). “NLT has been a member since we started operations in 2018,” says Chiwanza.

    The SAA aims to retain and grow existing indigenous commercial forests. One of the ways in which it has sought to do this is by entering into joint ventures with farmers in tobacco growing areas to set up eucalyptus plantations. Eucalyptus not only grows quickly but also provides good firewood.

    “The bulk of Zimbabwe’s tobacco is grown by small-scale farmers who use wood-fired barns to cure their tobacco,” Chiwanza says. NLT also holds field days and workshops, encouraging farmers to grow trees and offering advice on best practices. SAA’s activities should help Zimbabwe remain compliant with anti-deforestation laws, such as the one pending in the EU.

    Fighting deforestation has been a priority at CNT for years, Wilde emphasizes, primarily for flue-cured tobacco in origins that use fuel wood but also for other tobacco types—with deforestation linked to curing fuel, barn construction material and land clearance. “Addressing deforestation has been a focus prior to external regulation, with necessity of ensuring continuity of the industry in some locations being a key driver for change, along with meeting communities’ expectations of the business and ensuring our ‘social license to operate.’ Having a robust traceability system in place, connecting tobacco to its growing source, farmers and the activities carried out on farm is key for transparency and meeting increasing supply chain legislation—both for human rights and the environment.”

    The company has identified high-risk origins within its supply chain and implemented systems aimed at mitigating deforestation. “The EU draft law on supply chain deforestation highlights the priority of this topic and reinforces the urgency of addressing these issues in high-risk origins, both as a company and as an industry,” says Wilde.

    CNT’s reforestation efforts comprise education and awareness programs for its farmers, community and stakeholders. “Training farmers on legal requirements, conservation and reforestation practices, and listening to our stakeholders on localized issues helps to address deforestation and reforestation,” Wilde points out. “Training is supported by farmer monitoring by Extension staff, the results of which are analyzed to feed back into response projects and training cycles. We run various reforestation and carbon projects within our origins. Tailoring reforestation and conservation response programs to the local context and working with expert partners in addressing the local hurdles to success is core in our sustainability strategy.”

    Spying Opportunity: Norton Has Great Expectations of Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Transformation Plan

    In September 2021, Zimbabwe’s government approved the tobacco value chain transformation plan, which aims to transform the sector, currently valued at $1.2 billion, into a $5 billion industry by 2025. Launched by the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB), the initiative aims to turn the economy around through agriculture, boosting national income and foreign exchange to the levels from before Zimbabwe’s land reform program, which turned the industry from one dominated by large-scale commercial tobacco plantations to one characterized by smallholder production.

    The plan calls for an increase of annual tobacco production from 200 million kg to 300 million kg, the exploration of alternative crops in anticipation of lower smoking rates and an increase in value addition and beneficiation from 1 percent of the tobacco crop to 30 percent.

    Alice Mukome Chiwanza

    Farmers have welcomed the initiative. “I believe this to be a great idea,” says Alice Mukome Chiwanza, general manager of Norton Leaf Tobacco (NLT), a local tobacco merchant. “Under the TIMB, Zimbabwe only exports at the very least semi-processed tobacco. Further beneficiation can be understood to mean [anything from] increasing the local production of regular—combustible—cigarettes to producing vaping devices. This will do wonders for the tobacco industry as it will mean employment, investments in the form of infrastructure, such as processing plants, and greater revenue as we will be exporting end products as opposed to raw materials that still need further processing.”

    According to Chiwanza, this would also present a welcome opportunity for NLT to grow its sales to supply products, such as cut rag, to local cigarette manufacturers while eliminating shipping costs that have been a large deterrent in exporting. “It may also create the option of partnerships allowing companies such as ours to venture into new technology and therefore [new] markets. The ministry’s plans also include localization of tobacco financing, which should significantly reduce borrowing costs for companies such as NLT. Being a wholly Zimbabwean company, NLT is poised to grab any plans encouraging increased local involvement in the tobacco industry.” – S. R.

    Stefanie Rossel is Tobacco Reporter’s editorial contributor. An experienced trade journalist, she combines sharp reporting skills with in-depth knowledge of the tobacco and vapor industries. Prior to joining Tobacco Reporter, Stefanie was editor-in-chief at Tobacco Journal International, where she worked for a decade. Fluent in English, German and French, Stefanie covers tobacco news around the world. She is based in Germany.
  • Taking Root

    Taking Root

    Photo: ArtushFoto

    Programs to combat deforestation are gaining momentum in Zimbabwe.

    By Daisy Jeremani

    As Zimbabwe grapples with deforestation, of which 15 percent to 20 percent is attributed to tobacco curing, farmers, merchants and the government have taken a stand to push back the loss of woodlands estimated at 330,000 hectares per annum.

    One of the initiatives involves farmers contributing a portion of their seasonal income into a reforestation fund that is managed by the Forestry Commission of Zimbabwe (FCZ), a government agency.

    A second one is run by an association of tobacco merchants. Through the Sustainable Afforestation Association (SAA), buyers also contribute money for reforestation activities. The planting of trees started in 2014 with a buy-in from only six merchants, but now the number has risen to about 350 with a target of planting at least 3,000 hectares to 3,500 hectares of trees every year. So far, they have planted about 20,000 ha.

    In an interview with Tobacco Reporter, SAA’s business relations manager, Lloyd Mubaiwa, said his organization was set up by tobacco merchants “so that we create a sustainable source of fuel for tobacco curing so that we reduce the decimation on indigenous woodlands by tobacco farmers.”

    Besides loss attributable to the curing of tobacco, there has also been a massive decimation of natural woodlands and plantation forests due to various other factors, among them agricultural expansion, growth of settlements, infrastructure development, demand for firewood for domestic use and brick molding. Brick molding is almost the same as tobacco curing, as barns are built using bricks that would have been burned using traditional kilns, which require lots of wood to fire them up.

    The FCZ estimates that 330,000 hectares of natural forest are lost yearly, and 20 percent of that loss is caused by farmers, especially smallholders, cutting wood to cure tobacco. Approximately 80 percent of tobacco growers in Zimbabwe are smallholders who rely on forests nearby to cure the leaf because they lack money to buy coal, which better-resourced larger farmers use.

    A farmer using a conventional barn burns 9 kg of wood to cure 1 kg of tobacco, according to FCZ, whereas between 0.8 kg to 2.5 kg of coal are burnt to produce the same amount of leaf. A paper published by the International Journal of Development and Sustainability in 2014 said 0.6 ha of forest woodland are cleared yearly to process a hectare of tobacco.

    Native woods cut down for curing near a tobacco farm in Zimbabwe (Photos: Taco Tuinstra)

    Planting Trees

    To narrow the environmental cost of leaf processing, the government put in place a statutory instrument in 2012, which requires that for every three hectares of tobacco planted, the farmer must establish at least one hectare of trees for the curing of tobacco. Under the FCZ initiative, on each sale, the government is levying growers 0.75 percent, which goes through the Tobacco Industry Marketing Board (TIMB) and then to FCZ to be used to fund afforestation projects.

    Initially, merchants gave out mainly eucalyptus seeds to farmers when they came to sell their tobacco at the auction floors, but they realized that farmers did not establish any nurseries, according to Mubaiwa. After the seed initiative failed, the buyers started distributing seedlings, but, again, that failed as most of the seedlings just died under sheds at farms.

    “Now what we do is a farmer gives us the area that he intends to establish a plantation. We GPS the area, draft a contract he or she signs, and then we carry out the operations that are required,” Mubaiwa said.

    They sign 20-year contracts under which 20 percent of the harvest goes to the farmer and 80 percent goes toward a community fuel project. After 20 years, the plantation is handed over to the farmer and they can do whatever they want with it. SAA believes that the planation will be a lifetime investment, and the farmer should be able to harvest for the next 40 years to 50 years.

    “What we are saying is [that] we have taught the farmer how to grow the trees, how to look after them, how regenerate the coppicing or the shots and also [help] him identify and access markets to maximize his share value,” said Mubaiwa.

    There is also another incentive to the farmer during this partnership as SAA pays what it terms relief fees, which is money that it pays toward the farmer’s land tax obligations all the years that they are in partnership. The money is paid at $15 per ha.

    SAA does not only contract farmers, but it also trains them to grow seedlings to its specifications. The seedlings are grown in floating trays that were developed specifically for forestry, which gives a good root-to-shoot ratio. The bigger nurseries are in Harare and smaller ones are in areas that the organization is planting in.

    Since its formation in 2013, SAA has established approximately 20,000 ha of commercial eucalyptus plantations through long-term partnership contracts with about 320 farmers in the four main tobacco growing areas north of the country. It targets to establish between 35,000 ha and 40,000 ha of eucalyptus plantations across the main tobacco growing areas in the next 10 years for sustainable tobacco curing in the country.

    Alternative Energy Options

    SAA does not only contract farmers, but it also trains them to grow seedlings to its specifications.

    “To augment its biomass energy drive,” Mubaiwa wrote on Zimbabwe Forestry Online in April this year, “SAA has also collaborated with recognized research institutions such as the University of Zimbabwe and the Tobacco Research Board (TRB) to explore the use of bamboo, ethanol, biogas and solar energy as alternative energy options for tobacco curing. There has been very little progress in the development of these modern technologies, primarily due to a lack of national strategies to promote them.”

    The afforestation levy on growers was introduced in 2015 at a rate of 1.5 percent of leaf sales per farmer and is run by FCZ. Growers complained that the levy was too high, so the government agreed that it would be reduced to 0.75 percent.

    FCZ spokesperson Violet Makoto said that although they started getting the funds from the treasury through the TIMB recently, the afforestation levy has enabled them to address the supply side of afforestation as well as enhance their research into species that can be used for tobacco curing and capacitating them to be visible to farmers and assist with Extension services.

    The government agency has also set up nurseries to address the issue of seedlings’ availability in the tobacco producing Mashonaland West, Manicaland, Mashonaland Central and Mashonaland East provinces. Besides urging farmers to grow fast-growing eucalyptus, Makoto said FCZ is also carrying out research into other species that can be used—preferably indigenous species.

    “So research is ongoing to try out in terms of biomass value of the different indigenous species to see if they will be suitable for tobacco curing,” Makoto told Tobacco Reporter.

    She could not disclose figures on the hectarage grown under the levy, saying farmers have just embarked on this program, but she said uptake has been encouraging from large-scale tobacco growers. Makoto estimates that each of the big growers have set aside two hectares of trees for tobacco curing. The FCZ is also trying to make inroads to smaller scale farmers so that they establish community woodlots that they can harvest from.

    Zimbabwean tobacco growers inspect new technologies to help reduce energy consumtion.

    New Technologies

    In addition to replenishing forests, the government, through the TRB, is researching into, developing and promoting adoption of more energy-efficient curing options as well as renewable curing systems.

    One of the new technologies being promoted is the rocket barn, which is suitable for smallholders. Invented in Malawi and adopted and further developed by the TRB, the barn utilizes 4 kg of wood to cure 1 kg of tobacco whereas the conventional barn consumes 9 kg of wood to cure 1 kg of the crop. The small diameter furnace, introduced locally in 2014, also cures 0.5 ha of crop in a five to six day cycle compared to seven to 10 days in a conventional barn.

    There is also the larger, more expensive, twin-turbo barn, which is the most energy efficient model so far. According to the TRB, this technology utilizes any flammable material, including sawdust, wood and liquefied petroleum gas. A farmer needs about 1.5 kg of firewood to produce 1 kg of tobacco.

    In September this year, the TIMB launched a tobacco value chain development plan that seeks to promote use of solar and other renewable technologies to gradually phase out heavily polluting wood and coal-based curing systems.

    The Zimbabwe Tobacco Association’s chief executive, Rodney Ambrose, regretted the teething problems that have affected the FCZ managed program.

    For three years since its launch, he said, officials bickered over how the fund was to be administered. Many opportunities were missed over the years the tobacco levy was deducted but kept in the TIMB bank account as officials differed.

    “Then in 2020, a decision was made that [the] Forestry Commission of Zimbabwe should do the afforestation,” he said.

    The Tobacco Farmers Union of Zimbabwe’s president, Believe Tevera, also a farmer in Mount Darwin, Mashonaland Central Province, is also critical of the FCZ initiative. He said it was high time they saw real environmental remedy though the levies as the rate at which degradation is happening was not congruent with the steps that are being taken to correct the problem.

    “In Mount Darwin, we have been advocating to have that money channeled through the promotion of community-owned woodlots because we have wetlands. We can actually utilize these wetlands by planting gumtrees (eucalyptus). We can also grow the trees in gullies as there is a lot of soil erosion, which is being caused by deforestation,” he said.

  • New Hurdles Ahead

    New Hurdles Ahead

    Photo: Attasit

    Growers discuss the challenges and opportunities facing their sector during ITGA’s annual Issues Day.

    By Stefanie Rossel

    Increasing regulatory pressure, sustainability, climate change and child labor emerged as the main challenges during the International Tobacco Growers’ Association’s (ITGA) Issues Day on Nov. 18. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the conference for took place virtually for the second year in a row.

    The ITGA’s president, Abiel M. Kalima Banda, described 2021 as another year of limitations. Interestingly, though, the Covid-19 crisis wasn’t as bad for the tobacco industry as it was for other businesses, as ITGA’s CEO Antonio Abrunhosa pointed out. Especially in the main leaf countries, production went back up again, with markets returning to normal.

    However, new regulations are presenting new challenges to farmers. For example, just one day before the ITGA meeting, the European Union executive outlined a draft law requiring companies to prove that agricultural commodities destined for the bloc’s 450 million consumers were not linked to deforestation. “The future of regulation will be tougher than it is now,” said Abrunhosa. “Growers will suffer the greatest part of sustainability issues. Buyers must be aware that farmers need a decent income to be sustainable and support their families.”

    While burley witnessed another year of decline, flue-cured Virginia (FCV) volumes in Brazil, Zimbabwe, the U.S. and China experienced a boost, according to ITGA tobacco expert Ivan Genov, referring to data provided by Universal Leaf. An even higher growth rate is expected for 2022, but it is likely to remain below the range that was the norm before the pandemic. Growers are faced with steadily increasing production costs, Genov said. “The situation remains volatile; the pressure on the sector remains strong. Sustainability issues will increase and intensify further.”

    Slight Recovery

    Ivan Genov

    World tobacco leaf production stood at an estimated 4.74 billion kg in 2021, with FCV production amounting to 3.47 billion kg, slightly up from 3.37 billion kg in 2020. By 2022, production is anticipated to reach 3.5 billion kg. Dark air-cured production remained stable at 111 million kg in 2021, whereas oriental declined from 155 million kg in 2020 to 128 million kg in 2021. Burley production declined to 411 million kg in 2021 from 446 million kg a year earlier. The latter crop is expected to recover next season, with production going back up to 468 million kg in 2022, which would still be below pre-Covid-19 levels.

    Seven of the world’s top 10 tobacco exporters by volume saw declines in 2020. Brazil’s exports dropped from 530 million kg in 2019 to 485 million kg in 2020; China’s exports declined from 194 million kg in 2019 to 186 million kg in 2020; and India’s exports decreased from 186 million kg in 2019 to 177 million kg in 2020. Only Argentina and Turkey registered a minor increase in production for export, according to U.N. Comtrade figures.

    In terms of value, Brazil finished first with $1.51 billion worth of tobacco exports in 2020, followed by Zimbabwe ($741 million) and the United States ($695 million). According to Universal Leaf, China will provide around 50 percent of global FCV production in 2021, followed by North, Central and South America with a combined 24 percent share. Africa and the Middle East, currently standing at 10 percent, are expected to increase production volumes in 2022.

    Growers in the U.S. and Zimbabwe suffered challenging working conditions in 2020. The U.S. fought a trade war with China, whereas Zimbabwe was hit hard by Covid-19, which delayed auctions. On Nov. 8, the country’s ministry of lands and agriculture announced plans to generate more value from its tobacco sector. It aims to create a $5 billion tobacco industry by 2025.

    Cigarette Value Under Pressure

    Shane Macguill

    Shane MacGuill, Euromonitor global lead for nicotine and cannabis, looked at the current key drivers in the global tobacco market. The Covid-19 disruption, he observed, has created both threats and opportunities. The pandemic will potentially have implications in the medium term regarding consumer choice and disposable income. Significant prevalence and visibility declines, caused by tobacco control, he noted, will probably be the long-term key driver. MacGuill expects this to ease a little in the future, though. Heated-tobacco products (HTPs) and nicotine pouches have broadened the nicotine universe and caused a fragmentation. “As a consequence, cigarette value will diminish over time,” he said. Regulatory innovation has been key in the tobacco space historically and is expected to continue, potentially even further. MacGuill singled out the “beyond nicotine” sector as another key driver.

    In 2020, global cigarette volumes just held up, whereas value came under pressure, according to MacGuill. Excluding China, consumption stood at 2.79 trillion cigarettes. Illicit product accounted for 12 percent of cigarette sales.

    The value of cigarette sales declined by 0.2 percent in 2019–2020, while stick equivalent value rose 1.4 percent. The overall value of the global cigarette market was $484 billion, and the global average pack price was $2.77, or $3.47 excluding China. Cigarettes represented an 84 percent share of total value sales (81 percent excluding China).

    Between 2015 and 2020, total cigarette demand grew most in Ethiopia, Jordan, Egypt, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Brazil, Vietnam, Algeria, Lebanon and El Salvador—primarily developing countries that saw migration from other tobacco categories into the cigarette category and perhaps lower regulation and excise. Demand fell most in Japan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Ukraine, Peru, the Philippines, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Lithuania and Greece. Here, the decline was pushed by a combination of strong regulatory measures, increased taxation and the rise of cigarette alternatives. HTPs were driving substantial cigarette volume loss, most notably in Japan.

    Of the top 15 stick markets, Egypt, Vietnam, Bangladesh and India are expected to grow in stick/stick equivalent volume.

    HTPs Heating Up

    Global illicit cigarette trade dropped during 2020 as border closures and lockdowns interfered with illicit supply chains. However, MacGuill expects a return in growth, with illicit trade standing at around 15 percent eventually. Eastern Europe and Asia-Pacific will be among the most affected regions over the next five years as a result of affordability.

    “HTPs will cement their place at the head of the vapor growth narrative,” MacGuill predicted. “With the leading growth markets between 2020 and 2025 including Russia, Germany, Poland, the U.S., Japan, Italy, Ukraine and South Korea. To consumers, availability, ease of use, the possible impact on health but also price are among the most important product features. In a consumer survey, lack of information on the products was named as the essential barrier for not using HTPs.”

    Nicotine pouches reached a value of $1.2 billion in 2020. With benefits from lower barriers to consumers’ communication and—for the time being—less regulatory pressure, the segment is expected to grow by 40 percent to 2025.

    During 2020, overall monthly nicotine use grew in 17 markets, possibly due to pandemic-related factors, such as boredom and stress, according to Euromonitor. While cigarette use mostly declined or stayed flat and e-cigarette use plateaued in some key markets, HTPs saw a significant uptake. Across formats, price remained the key product feature.

    Many tobacco manufacturers see their future in “beyond nicotine” products, especially in the field of cannabis. According to MacGuill, investors are now assigning greater value to nicotine companies that are more diversified away from combustible products. Companies are also likely to focus more on cannabis as a potential substitute for their tobacco and nicotine products. Sales are set to reach $92 billion by 2026. Key trends in the cannabis space include a wider range of ingredients and formulations, targeting new populations, such as gamers, and new occasions, such as cannabis products in tins for dogwalkers.

    More Regulation Looming

    Michiel Reerink

    Michiel Reerink, corporate affairs director and managing director at Alliance One International, listed the outcomes of the ninth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP9) to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which took place Nov. 8–13, 2021. Among other things, COP9 delegates agreed on the creation of an investment fund to support control activities and noted and deferred to WHO reports on technical matters including HTPs as well as on research and evidence on novel and emerging products without discussion or decision until COP10 in 2023.

    In the EU, the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act will increase the industry’s regulatory burden. In March 2021, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on corporate accountability, which stipulates a due diligence requirement for human rights and environmental standards that is likely to be aligned with OECD and United Nations Guiding Principles. By now, 15 EU member states have adopted human rights at the supply chain level. “Suppliers should prepare for this legislation,” Reerink said. “Due diligence should already be part of their company code of conduct.”

    Finding Alternative Livelihoods

    Heliodoro Campos, manager of the National Tobacco Fund in Colombia (Fedetabaco), described the plight of small-scale tobacco farmers in his home country. The sudden exits of Philip Morris International and British American Tobacco in 2019 and 2020, respectively, left thousands of tobacco famer families struggling for alternative sources of income (see “Blueprint for Exit,” Tobacco Reporter, March 2021). A conversion plan that envisaged the cultivation of permanent crops, such as Tahiti lemon, for the 30 percent of families that are landowners and transitory crops, such as maize or yuca, for the remaining 70 percent of families who lease their land did not materialize, as Colombia didn’t provide the required financing.

    Campos’ presentation was a cry for help. Stakeholders are now hoping that a new conversion plan that foresees the production of non-THC cannabis will yield better results. A pilot project is expected to provide insights into the cost of production and potential profitability next year. Campos said he was trying to find resources for this plan, also internationally.

    Stepping up the Fight

    Innocent Mugwagwa, senior manager of the Eliminating Child Labor in Tobacco Growing Foundation (ECLT), outlined the development of his organization, which has moved from focusing on implementing small projects in Africa in the first decade of the millennium to signing pledges of commitment with companies and addressing minimum requirements for businesses and human rights in the 2010s.

    In 2021, the foundation started concentrating on technical assistance, supporting governments so that they can protect children’s rights and supporting businesses to prevent and remedy child labor. It will also cooperate more closely with the ITGA to strengthen famers’ voices in defining fair standards and educate farmers in languages they understand. “We already worked together with the ITGA in the education of farmers on Covid[-19],” Mugwagwa explained. Furthermore, the ECLT will leverage governments and businesses to support ITGA members’ and farmers’ efforts in combatting child labor.

    The ITGA’s vice president, Jose Aranda, closed the conference by emphasizing that a unified voice and strengthened efforts were needed to fight the challenges. “We must understand that the new challenges to our sector are threatening, with increasing regulations and the growing popularity of products without tobacco. Some markets are already gone.”

    Antonio Abrunhosa

    Vázquez succeeds Abrunhosa as ITGA CEO

    The International Tobacco Growers Association appointed Mercedes Vázquez as its new CEO during the organization’s 36th annual general meeting, which took place virtually Nov. 18-19. Vázquez succeeds António Abrunhosa, who announced his retirement after serving in the position since 1998.

    Members expressed their gratitude and highlighted Abrunhosa’s role in positioning ITGA as a key player in the global tobacco sector.

    “In my new role I will do my best to continue this learning process from all of you so I can ensure and reinforce the long-lasting relations with our partners so we can together overcome the common challenges we are facing in our sector,” said Vázquez.

    Stefanie Rossel is Tobacco Reporter’s editorial contributor. An experienced trade journalist, she combines sharp reporting skills with in-depth knowledge of the tobacco and vapor industries. Prior to joining Tobacco Reporter, Stefanie was editor-in-chief at Tobacco Journal International, where she worked for a decade. Fluent in English, German and French, Stefanie covers tobacco news around the world. She is based in Germany.

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    TR December 2024

    Tobacco Reporter’s parent organization, TMA, has decided to discontinue its trade publications. This issue is our last.

    TR November 2023

    In Tobacco Reporter’s November 2024 issue, we look back on another successful edition of the Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum (GTNF), which took place Sept. 24-26 in Athens this year.

    While it’s impossible to do justice to this event in a just handful of Tobacco Reporter pages, we have highlighted key moments and takeaways that not only illustrate the depth and breadth of the forum, but will also demonstrate to those who missed this year’s edition why they simply cannot afford to skip the next one, in 2025.

    The GTNF was not the only tobacco event this northern hemisphere fall. In the wake of the 2024 Coresta Congress, which took place Oct. 13-17 in Edinburgh, George Gay took the opportunity to interview Danielle Tower, group head of scientific and regulatory affairs at BAT, the host of the Congress, about the tremendous opportunity presented by tobacco harm reduction.

    Ivan Genov reports from the International Tobacco Growers Association annual general meeting, which convened in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA, this year, and public health veteran Scott D. Ballin stresses the continued importance of “safe-haven” dialogues between stakeholder in a time of division and animosity.

    Also in this issue: A report from Pakistan, where a Sudanese order for 10-stick packs has caused considerable controversy.

    TR October 2024

    In Tobacco Reporter’s October 2024 issue, Cheryl Olson reflects on how the entry of heated tobacco might change the U.S. market. Due to a combination of regulation and an intellectual property dispute, American smokers have been deprived of tobacco-heating products that have become ubiquitous in many other markets.

    As Philip Morris International prepares to (re)introduce its IQOS device there, it’s worth examining the challenges and opportunities facing heated tobacco in the world’s most lucrative tobacco market.

    Barnaby Page examines the EU position on novel nicotine products as the trade bloc crafts a new Tobacco Products Directive, and George Gay explores how flexible packaging can be used to help manufacturers in responding to the EU’s nascent Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulations.

    Vladislav Vorotnikov looks at the impact of war on the tobacco trade in Gaza, and Brand Finance unveils its latest ranking of the most valuable tobacco brands.

    Also in this issue: The 2024 recipients of Tobacco Reporter’s Golden Leaf Awards.

    TR September 2024

    Tobacco Reporter’s September 2024 issue highlights investments in Azerbaijan’s tobacco sector.

    Market leader Tabaterra has been expanding cigarette production and is in the process of moving into a brand-new production facility, generating not only new employment but also creating potential for exports.

    In addition, the company has been reviving Azerbaijani leaf production. Supporting its farmers base and promoting good agricultural practices,  the company is bringing tobacco quality in line with international standards.

    Stefanie Rossel asks experts what’s next in vaping technology, and looks head at Philip Morris International’s relaunch of IQOS heat-not-burn products in the United States. 

    Marissa Dean interviews Filtrona about its investment in more sustainable filters and Arac stresses the critical role of site visits and quality controls in behavioral science research. Also in the issue: an interview with SWM International’s president and CEO, Katrin Hanske, about the company’s continued commitment to excellence in the wake of its takeover by Evergreen Hill Enterprise.

    TR August 2024

    August 2024 is Tobacco Reporter’s nicotine issue. We invited three subject matter experts to approach the topic from different angles.

    Clive Bates speculates what the transforming market for nicotine products might look like by 2040; Barnaby Page explores the deeply opposing views held by tobacco harm reduction advocates on the one hand and some policymakers on the other; and Cheryl K. Olson examines how research methods can distort nicotine effects and risks.

    As part of our regular coverage, Stefanie Rossel spoke to experts about the ongoing shortage of leaf tobacco and investigated the potential benefits of reduced-risk products to oral health. George Gay comments on the generational tobacco ban proposed by the previous U.K. government and picked up by the new one, and Marissa Dean pays tribute to Ronald Woodthrope of Hampshire Tobacco Machinery Services, who passed away in March.

    Also in this issue: the FDA’s first approval of a mentholated vape product.

    TR July 2024

    For its July 2024 issue, Tobacco Reporter visited Bhutan to investigate that country’s tobacco ban and subsequent U-turn. What factors contributed to the Himalayan kingdom’s change of heart? And what lessons does its experience hold for other nations contemplating tobacco-free generations and “endgames?”

    Tim Donahue examines the impact of vape product registry bills in the United States as states try to compensate for meek federal enforcement. George Gay reports from Zambia, which wants to step out of the shadow of its tobacco powerhouse neighbor, Zimbabwe, and make a name for itself on the global leaf market. Stefanie Rossel visited Cerdia’s filter colloquium.

    Also in this issue: a report on Alliance One International’s seed industrialization unit in Brazil and a profile of Your Tobacco Link, a new leaf global merchant combining the strengths of JEB International and Tobacco Trading and Services.

    TR June 2024

    Tobacco Reporter’s June 2024 issue highlights a breakthrough with the potential to significantly enhance vaping safety, performance and experience. Whereas most developments over the past years have focused on finetuning the substrates and print materials in ceramic-based systems, Greentank insists its heating chip technology is  ‘unlike anything witnessed in the industry before.’

    Clive Bates explains why those committed to minimizing the risks of nicotine consumption should celebrate realists and beware of idealists, while Cheryl Olson examines tobacco harm reduction in the Middle East—a region with traditionally high rates of smoking.

    Pieter Vorster and Sudhanshu Patwardhan debate whether tobacco harm reduction is reaching The Global South, and Stefanie Rossel reports on a novel nicotine particulate from TJP Labs.

    Also in this issue: dispatches from China, Poland and Japan, along with a profile of SPI Developments, where Henri Tuck recently handed the reigns to Danielle Roxborough.

    TR May 2024

    In its May 2024 issue, Tobacco Reporter covers the mad scramble for Brazil’s smaller-than-expected tobacco crop this year. In an in-depth article, Taco Tuinstra analyzes not only the current marketing season, but also the long-term challenges facing Brazil’s tobacco industry, which include acute labor shortages, an aging grower base and increased regulatory focus on farming in the wake of the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

    Cheryl Olson examined how people stop smoking in “the real world.” While randomized controlled trials are the widely acknowledged gold standard in research, they fail to capture the often messy quitting experiences of millions.

    George Gay visited BAT’s recently inaugurated innovation center in Southampton, U.K., and left encouraged about science’s ability to help improve the lives of consumers.

    Samrat Chowdhery explains how India came to deny consumers legal access to safer ways of consuming nicotine, and Stefanie Rossel describes how China’s regulations have impacted the vaping business.

    Also in this issue: A report from the recent TMA annual meeting and conference, where CEO Chris Greer announced an exciting rebranding initiative.

    TR April 2024

    This year marks our publication’s 150th anniversary. To celebrate, our April 2024 issue reflects not only on a century and a half of editorial excellence, but also on the remarkable endurance of the nicotine business in an increasingly challenging operating environment. What is the secret of its success?

    Unfortunately, there was less to brag about by the parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which held their 10th meeting recently. As Stefanie Rossel reports in this issue, the Panama gathering featured lots of grandstanding but marked little progress toward the treaty’s goal of reducing the health impact of smoking.

    Cheryl Olson investigated where the industry stands with ESG. Even as the term is falling out of fashion in some quarters, she found that the nicotine business remains firmly committed to the concept.

    Timothy Donahue reports from the Habanos cigar festival in Cuba and Catharine Dockery shared with us the business strategy of her Vice Ventures fund, which specializes in good companies in supposedly bad industries.

    Also in this issue: A profile of McKinney Specialty Labs in Richmond.

    TR March 2024

    Among the many challenges facing the nicotine business today is a potential ban on menthol cigarettes in the United States, where minty flavored smokes account for about a third of the market. In the March issue, Cheryl Olson asks whether banning menthol is appropriate for the protection of public health and highlights some of the potential unintended consequences.

    Professor Ming Deng contemplates the future of vaping as more jurisdictions crack down on disposable e-cigarettes, and concludes that this is an opportune time for the industry to revisit the fundamental purpose of vaping—harm reduction and providing a superior consumer experience.

    Clive Bates explains how innovation in the recreational nicotine market is revolutionizing not only the  tobacco industry but also disrupting tobacco control. ITG Brands’ Steven McDonald analyzes the broken PMTA review process, and Stefanie Rossel examines how the Houthis’ attacks on commercial vessels are impacting the movement of tobacco products through one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

    Also in this issue: an analysis of brand value in the tobacco industry. Among the many changes over the years, one thing has remained remarkably consistent: intangible assets continue to be a major contributor to the real value generated by the nicotine business.

    TR February 2024

    For our February 2024 issue, Tobacco Reporter traveled to Indonesia, where it encountered a leaf market unlike any other. Whereas most origins specialize in one of two internationally recognized tobaccos, Indonesia produces a baffling array of varieties, many of them unique to the island nation.

    So diverse are the products on offer that one aspiring leaf trader was advised to forget about his experiences in Zimbabwe and Brazil and instead draw inspiration from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the fictional magical boarding school in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series.

    Cheryl Olson examines the impact of the recent ruling by the  U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit on the Food and Drug Administration’s approach to premarket tobacco product applications, which asserts that nicotine product manufacturers have been treated unfairly. What will the verdict mean for tobacco harm reduction?

    George Gay explores why smokers face a greater degree of ostracization than those engaging in other risky activities and Stefanie Rossel reports on the thriving markets for herbal heated products and nicotine pouches.

    Also in this issue: Godioli & Bellanti’s 100th anniversary.

    TR January 2024

    In Tobacco Reporter’s January 2024 issue, Clive Bates asks how the science of tobacco and nicotine can serve the public good. Skepticism, he argues, underpins the scientific process, and uncertainty is a pervasive, permanent and evolving feature of scientific understanding.

    Stefanie Rossel profiles the Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction, which evaluates nicotine-related science to help ensure that policymakers and the public receive accurate and reliable information.

    Jessica Zdinak highlights a recent study on the impact of flavored e-cigarettes on adult smokers, and Sudhansu Patwardhan traces the origins of the prevailing misperceptions about nicotine.

    Cheryl K. Olson explores the role of religious convictions in smoking cessation, and Brand Finance Managing Director Richard Haight analyzes BAT’s remarkable decision to write down the value of some of its U.S. cigarette brands.

    Also in this issue: a discussion among plant breeders and crop science experts about the challenges of developing low-nicotine tobacco.

    TR December 2023

    Tobacco Reporter’s December 2023 issue examines the potential of digital age verification technology to help deter underage access to nicotine products. Facial recognition systems have come a long way in a recent years, but also raise privacy concerns.

    The technology that conveniently unlocks your smartphone can also be used by autocrats to monitor their subjects, marketers to tracks your behavior and thieves to steal your identity. In his article “Beyond Face Value,” George Gay weighs the pros and cons based on a U.K. experiment.

    Cheryl Olson explores the challenges and opportunities for tobacco harm reduction for people with mental health needs, who tend to smoke at higher rates than the overall population. Stefanie Rossel delves into the Egyptian government’s recent selloff of a stake in its tobacco monopoly, and Taco Tuinstra reports on the nicotine flavoring business in the Spice Islands (Indonesia).

    Also in this issue: A new technology that delivers nicotine through foam.  

    TR November 2023

    In its November 2023 issue, Tobacco Reporter looks back at one of the most successful editions of the Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum yet. Held in September, the event in Seoul featured world-class speakers from various walks of life, including public health advocates, regulators and even prominent lawmakers. Due to space limitations, our print edition GTNF coverage is supplemented by additional reporting online.

    Stefanie Rossel examines various tobacco-heating technologies. As it turns out, there are multiple roads leading to Rome. Cheryl K. Olsen highlights several triumphs in tobacco harm reduction that are likely to surprise skeptics.

    George Gay scrutinized the U.K. plans for a generational tobacco ban and concludes that this will work only if properly implemented—that is, if less harmful tools of nicotine consumption remain available to those prevented from smoking.

    Taco Tuinstra visited Smoore’s new facility in Indonesia—the company’s first outside of China—and was impressed by its unrivaled level of sophistication and automation.

    Also in this issue: a profile of Collaboration Traditab Santele, which is successfully marketing European tobacco products based on their geographic origins.

    TR October 2023

    In its October 2023 issue, Tobacco Reporter tackles the widespread misunderstandings of relative risk.

    As Cheryl Olson observes in her cover story “Star Power,” smoking has lately been getting more favorable press coverage than vaping, despite the fact that the former is significantly riskier than the latter.

    But it’s not just excitable headline writers who are getting it backward. As it prepares to update its Tobacco Product Directive, the European Commission appears inclined to regulate all nicotine products as if they were combustible cigarettes, according to Clive Bates.

    The misconceptions extend even to those whose job is to know better. In his article “Dispelling Myths,” George Gay marvels at the findings of a recent study among physicians, in which nearly 80 percent of respondents erroneously identified nicotine as the main culprit in smoking-related disease.

    Such misconceptions, along with negative press coverage, are discouraging doctors from steering smokers who won’t quit toward less harmful nicotine products—an outcome that is especially detrimental in Australia, where nicotine vapes are available only on prescription (see “Doubling Down,” by Stefanie Rossel).

    In other coverage, we examine efforts to help tobacco farmers diversify their incomes and initiatives by several industry suppliers to reduce the environmental impact of its business.

    Also in this issue: The latest developments in reconstituted tobacco

    In its September 2023 issue, Tobacco Reporter looks ahead at the Global Tobacco & Nicotine Forum (GTNF) and the 10th Conference of the Parties (COP10) to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which are scheduled to take place this northern-hemisphere fall.

    Both gatherings seek to reduce the health problems associated with tobacco consumption, but they will be advocating markedly different solutions. While the delegates at COP10 will be touting product bans, tax hikes and legal action, participants in the GTNF are likely to emphasize the opportunities presented by new technologies to help smokers transition to less-harmful products.

    Grant Churchill of Oxford University explains why nicotine is not the culprit in tobacco-related disease, and Clive Bates, a former U.K. senior civil servant, offers COP10 delegates suggestions to make the most of their participation.

    Cheryl Olson explores the question of how to communicate tobacco products’ relative risks more effectively, and Ian Fearon of McKinney Regulatory Science Advisors examines the potential impact of China’s new rules on vape manufacturing.

    Further in this issue: an analyses of the acetate tow market, which has been suffering from shortages, and a critical look at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s plans to set nicotine limits and ban menthol as a tobacco flavor.

    We also reveal the winners of the Golden Leaf Awards.

    TR August 2023

    In Tobacco Reporter’s August 2023, Derek Yach examines the promise of synthetic nicotine. Not only does synthetic nicotine improve the toxicological safety profile of delivery devices, but it also helps reduce  carbon emissions, water use and deforestation associated with tobacco growing.

    Cheryl Olson tackles some of the major tobacco-related misconceptions that are preventing harm reduction efforts from living up to their full potential. The 2019 EVALI crisis, for example, continues to be associated with nicotine vaping in the minds of many long after it was proven to be caused by illicit THC products. The myth that youth vaping is a gateway to smoking, too, persists despite evidence to the contrary.

    Stefanie Rossel profiles the Vandermarliere Family of Cigars, which has been diligently expanding its sales and distribution networks worldwide, while doubling down on its commitment to quality and enjoyment.

    George Gay examines the roll-your-own and make-your-own markets, two traditional niches that have spawned a remarkable amount of innovation.

    Also in this issue: An exclusive interview with Eve Wang, vice president of Smoore, the world’s largest atomization company.

    TR July 2023

    In Tobacco Reporter’s July 2023 issue, Sudhansu Patwardhan explores how the rise of synthetic nicotine could contribute to food security by reducing demand for leaf and releasing land currently dedicated to tobacco cultivation to other crops.

    At the same time, Patwardhan laments the World Health Organization’s attempts to pit tobacco growers against a hungry world. As the International Tobacco Growers Association (ITGA) has pointed out in response to the WHO campaign, the percentage of arable land dedicated to the golden leaf worldwide is relatively small, and many tobacco farmers grow food crops, too.

    Derek Yach urges medicinal licensing of e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches to advance tobacco harm reduction, and Cheryl Olson explains why tobacco companies won’t “just stop” selling cigarettes, as critics urge. While it is possible to switch off the machines, doing so would not end demand, according to Dave Dobbins, former chief operating officer of the Legacy Foundation/Truth Initiative. The ensuing vacuum would be quickly filled by illegal suppliers unrestrained by product standards,

    Jessica Zdinak of Applied Research and Analysis Co. stresses the importance of understanding consumers to help move them down the risk continuum, and Stefanie Rossel interviewed ITGA’s Ivan Genov about global supply and demand for leaf tobacco.

    Also in this issue: A profile of newcomer Atlas Agri, which is working to increase Zimbabwean tobacco volumes by reducing post-harvest losses.

    TR June 2023

    For Tobacco Reporter’s May 2023 issue, Taco Tuinstra visited Malawi to learn how that nation is trying to reduce its heavy reliance on tobacco. Deriving between 40 percent and 70 percent of its export earnings from the golden leaf, Malawi is the world’s most tobacco-dependent country. In a good year, the crop brings relative wealth to the country’s tobacco-growing communities and much-needed foreign currency to help the nation import products and services it cannot produce domestically. In a bad season, there is poverty in the villages.

    Supported by leaf tobacco merchants and the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, Malawi has started developing new supplemental value chains and breathing life into ones that had fallen to the wayside. Many of the projects are still in their infancy, but stakeholders are hopeful that over time they will help make Malawi’s economy more resilient as global demand for tobacco levels off.

    Clive Bates examines how the tobacco industry can accelerate its transformation toward less-harmful products and Cheryl Olsen calls for a rethink of the U.S. modified-risk tobacco product approval process. Barnaby Page reflects on the global spread of flavor bans and Stefanie Rossel highlights initiatives to reduce the environmental impact of disposable vapes.

    Also in this issue: A photographic impression of the recent TabExpo trade fair in Bologna.

    TR May 2023

    In an exclusive interview, Minister of Agriculture Anxious Masuka explains how the country will boost the crop to 300 million kg and create a $5 billion tobacco business by 2025. Tobacco Reporter also spoke with various stakeholders, including the trade and the scientific community, on the challenges and opportunities associated with such an ambitious undertaking. Will Zimbabwe be able to sell 300 million kg as global cigarette consumption stagnates? And will it be able to achieve the desired volumes in line with customers’ ESG expectations?

    In a three-way discussion, Sudhanshu Patwardhan, John Dunne and Pieter Vorster discuss another environmental concern—that of growing e-waste. To properly address this challenge, the panelists urge stakeholders to expand the definition of tobacco harm reduction to include product lifecycle management.

    Grant Churchill of Oxford University describes the pharmacology of nicotine, a widely misunderstood chemical; Tobacco Reporter’s George Gay profiles a bold new venture by a leaf tobacco veteran in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and our colleague Stefanie Rossel explores efforts to replace India’s “uniquely deadly” variety of smokeless tobaccos with less harmful alternatives.

    Also in this issue: An overview of the roll-your-own tobacco market, which under the proper fiscal conditions, can serve as a buffer against illicit cigarettes.

    TR April 2023

    The Covid-19 pandemic changed how the world operates, including how people communicate and interact. Tobacco Reporter’s April 2023 issue marks the return of the magazine’s writers traveling and interacting with sources face-to-face. Timothy Donahue traveled to Cuba to learn about the latest developments in that country’s legendary cigar industry.

    In anticipation of TABEXPO, Stefanie Rossel traveled through northern Italy, which has traditionally been home to many tobacco-related businesses and continues to attract new tobacco investments, such as Philip Morris International’s state-of-the-art heated-tobacco factory and BAT’s innovation hub.

    Clive Bates urges stakeholders to rethink the role of nicotine in society while Cheryl Olson explores what it would take for women to switch to smokeless products.

    Marissa Dean digs into Brazil’s leaf market and what’s expected following last year’s record earnings, and George Gay reviews SWM’s step-by-step manual for producing tobacco heating products.

    Also in this issue: a reflection on the productive life of Tobacco Reporter’s former owner, Dayton Matlick, who passed away in February.

    TR March 2023

    Youth smoking in the United States is at a record low, according to the 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey. Instead of celebrating, however, many anti-tobacco activists are wringing their hands about the relative increase in vaping. Are campaigners reluctant to credit e-cigarettes for choking off youth smoking? Cheryl Olson investigates.

    Vladislav Vorotnikov examines the persistent illicit cigarette trade in the Balkans, which he traces back to the bloody breakup of Yugoslavia, when the various antagonists needed money to fund their war efforts. Even today, political and business elites throughout the region remain connected to cigarette smuggling, according to Vorotnikov.

    Stefanie Rossel reports on Greenbutts’ environmentally friendly cigarette filter, which according to the manufacturer disperses in water within several minutes with agitation and begins to degrade in compost within several days.

    George Gay analyzes the predicament of tobacco freight forwarders as the EU considers whether to tax unmanufactured tobacco, and Marissa Dean explains how changes to the U.S. Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau reports have made that organization’s data less useful.

    Also in this issue: The remarkable return of Filtrona, which after operating under the Essentra umbrella for a decade is now back as an independent company.

    TR February 2023

    Tobacco Reporter’s February 2023 issue explores innovation in the tobacco and nicotine industries. In his book How Innovation Works, author and past GTNF speaker Matt Ridley notes that innovation is not an individual phenomenon but a collective and messy network phenomenon. As Clive Bates explains in this issue, that observation holds very much true for innovation in nicotine business, as well.

    Cheryl Olson and Willie McKinney ponder what lessons the U.S. experience with nicotine might hold as regulators contemplate how to regulate cannabis.

    Patrick Basham of the Democracy Institute investigated the state of tobacco harm reduction and found something that may surprise readers: Despite noisy resistance in some quarters, the concept is more widely accepted than is often assumed.  

    Stefanie Rossel examines the outlook for nicotine pouches in Germany (which bizarrely regulates modern oral products as food) following the confirmation by a prominent research institute that pouches are safer than cigarettes.

    George Gay urges the European Commission to embrace fresh thinking in its approach to tobacco control and Timothy Donahue interviewed Kim Hesse about the testing of electronic nicotine delivery systems.

    Also in this issue: A profile of Godioli & Bellanti, which has been in business for 100 years.

    TR January 2023

    Science has been instrumental in helping reduce the negative health impact of tobacco consumption, not only by enabling the development of product that deliver nicotine without the disease-causing byproducts of combustion but also by allowing researchers to measure the effectiveness of next-generation products.

    Unfortunately, not all research is up to snuff. As Clive Bates explains in this issue, many studies suffer from poor methodology, poor interpretation of results and poor extrapolation from findings to policy. Dispiritingly, regulators too appear at times to be motivated by unscientific considerations, as Cheryl Olson observes in her article “Science-Based Regulation?”

    Perhaps surprising to some, the best tobacco research these days is probably generated by the industry, which is incentivized by the need to satisfy skeptical regulators about the safety and effectiveness of its next-generation products.

    How seriously the industry takes its commitment to science is demonstrated in this issue by David O’Reilly. In an exclusive interview, BAT’s director of scientific research reveals how science is helping the company achieve its vision of  “A better tomorrow.”

    Also in this issue, we discuss the pitfalls of prohibition, attempts by leaf sourcing countries to move up the tobacco value chain and the challenges facing the tobacco logistics business.

    TR December 2022

    Tobacco Reporter’s December 2022 issue explores the outlook for flavors, both in vaping products and traditional cigarettes. How will the proliferation of flavor bans impact consumption, the industry and ultimately public health? In three separate articles, Clive Bates, Cheryl Olson and Stefanie Rossel examine the issue from different angles.

    George Gay looks at the new challenges and opportunities facing Altria Group in the wake of its new partnership with Japan Tobacco International. Stefanie spoke with leading cigarette manufacturers about their efforts to cultivate startups with technologies that may aid the industry’s transition beyond tobacco and nicotine.

    Timothy Donahue provides a peek behind the curtain at Smoore, the company behind many of the products that survived the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s brutal vetting process. And Ivan Genov reports from the International Tobacco Growers’ annual general meeting in Portugal.

    Also in this issue: An exclusive report from Iran, where illicit cigarettes continue to elbow out legitimate sales.  

    TR November 2022

    In Tobacco Reporter’s November 2022 issue, we look back on another successful GTNF. Under the theme “Accessing Innovation,” the conference debated, among many other topics, the challenges and opportunities for tobacco harm reduction.

    While technological breakthroughs have made it possible to develop nicotine products that present a fraction of the health risks presented by combustible cigarettes, such products remain inaccessible to consumers in many markets due to a combination of underinvestment and ill-conceived regulation.

    George Gay evaluates the latest Tobacco Transformation Index and questions to what extent the valuable information in the report will accelerate tobacco harm reduction worldwide. Cheryl Olson explores the role of consumer choice and Stefanie Rossel reports from Spain, where proposed legislation threatens to kill the independent vaping sector.

    Also in this issue, we reveal the winners of the 2022 Golden Leaf Awards.

    TR October 2022

    Tobacco Reporter’s October 2022 issue explores the ‘pharmaceuticalization’ of tobacco. Confronted with stagnant sales in their traditional business, cigarette companies have been looking not only past tobacco but also past nicotine, identifying new areas to leverage their specialist knowledge of, say, plant genomes, lung physiology or substance delivery.

    Perhaps surprisingly, the field to which such skills are particularly well suited is the pharmaceutical business. Accordingly, we’ve seen tobacco companies invest in vaccines and medical devices, such as lung treatments.

    While these efforts have provoked their share of criticism from anti-smoking campaigners, they also hold considerable promise. As Clive Bates and Cheryl Olson point out in separate articles this month, tobacco’s involvement in the pharmaceutical business could very well be a net positive for public health.

    Other stories in this issue cover Zimbabwe’s tottering effort to diversify into cannabis production, the generational endgame bills in New Zealand and Malaysia, and paper manufacturers’ heroic attempts to reduce the environmental impact of their energy-hungry operations.

    We also profile Kaival Brands, a company that has been making remarkable inroads into the global vapor market.

    TR September 2022

    Tobacco Reporter’s September 2022 issue looks ahead at the GTNF, which will take place Sept. 27-29 in Washington DC.

    In line with this year’s event’s “accessing innovation” theme, Clive Bates makes a compelling case for rendering combustible cigarettes obsolete through creative destruction. Innovation offers an extraordinarily effective tool to help reduce the health impact of smoking, argues Bates—provided that it is given a chance.

    Cheryl Olson provides a sneak peek at her GTNF panel, which will focus on “forgotten smokers,” whose views are routinely neglected by policymakers, physicians and other potential sources of support. Panelists will share personal experiences and research on ways to raise empathy and visibility for people who smoke and ideas to spread the benefits of harm reduction more equitably.

    Flora Okereke spoke to Tobacco Reporter’s Stefanie Rossel about BAT’s ambition to bring about “A Better Tomorrow” and George Gay evaluates the recent U.K. Kahn review.

    Also in this issue: A profile of biodegradable filter manufacturer McAirlaid’s and a story about Moldova’s fight against the illicit cigarette trade.

    TR August 2022

    In Tobacco Reporter’s August 2022 issue we examine the impact of the war in Ukraine on the tobacco industry. What has the conflict meant for cigarette production, distribution and consumption? And how are the multinationals making good on their commitment to extract themselves from the Russian market?

    Clive Bates urges a rethink of nicotine policies now that the legal recreational drug is available with minimal harm to health, and George Gay reports from Forest’s summer event in London, where speakers lament the continuing assaults on personal choice and personal responsibility.

    Stefanie Rossel describes a groundbreaking technology from Sweden that allows tobacco companies to control the dose of nicotine released from pouches, and Tim Donahue has the latest on Universal’s sustainability initiatives.

    Also in this issue: a report on the market for tobacco-related instrumentation.

    TR July 2022

    In it July 2022 issue, Tobacco Reporter examines the U.S. plan to mandate significant reductions in the nicotine levels of cigarettes, which the Biden administration made official on June 21.

    Will the measure prevent future generations from becoming addicted to cigarettes and prompt current smokers to quit, as its proponents contend, or will it cause nicotine users to smoke more cigarettes to get their fix—and thus inhale more toxins—as critics have suggested?

    George Gay takes the pulse of the global leaf market and Stefanie Rossel reports on the state of tobacco harm reduction in low- and middle-income countries.

    Cheryl Olson reports from the E-Cigarette Summit  in Washington, where speakers reminded their audience that, contrary to what certain academics believe, smokers still exist in persistently large numbers, many in marginalized pockets of society.

    Also in the issue: A profile of Hail and Cotton, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary and an update on KT&G’s progress toward achieving its ambition of becoming a global top tier nicotine business.

    TR June 2022

    In Tobacco Reporter’s June 2022 issue, Clive Bates takes the retirement of FDA Center of Tobacco Products Director Mitch Zeller as an opportunity to reflect on what authorities worldwide can learn from the United States’ experience in regulating nicotine products. Which practices are worth replicating? Which are best avoided?

    John Pritchard details 22nd Century Group’s plans in the wake of its VLN modified-risk tobacco product marketing order and in the context of the FDA’s plans to mandate lower nicotine levels.

    International Tobacco Growers Association CEO Mercedes Vasquez and her predecessor, Antonio Abrunhosa, speak about the plight of farmers in a world of declining demand and increasing compliance requirements.

    Roya Ghafale of Oxfirst explains why the tobacco industry should start thinking more creatively about intellectual property.

    Also in this issue: the role of consumer advocates and the prospects for the vaping business in China as the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration asserts its authority over the sector.

    TR May 2022

    Tobacco Reporter’s May 2022 issue looks at industry efforts to improve the sustainability of its operations—to ensure today’s stakeholders can meet current needs without compromising the needs of future generations.

    Among other topics, we examine industry initiatives to reduce battery waste generated by electronic nicotine delivery products, machinery makers’ efforts to minimize their equipment’s energy consumption and vapor companies’ endeavors to include more recyclable components in their products.

    Our May issue also highlights a remarkable new technology that allows cigarette manufacturers to capture the carbon dioxide generated by their operations and use it for tobacco expansion, thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions and expenses simultaneously!

    Clive Bates explains why criticism of the tobacco industry’s diversification is misguided and Cheryl Olson explores ways to educate physicians on nicotine and the risk continuum.

    TR April 2022

    Prepared in partnership with the renowned public health consultant Derek Yach, Tobacco Reporter’s April 2022 issue describes the unprecedented transformation taking place in the nicotine business.

    From plant-based vaccines through revolutionary vaping hardware to therapeutic devices, the tobacco industry is innovating at an unprecedented pace. In the process, it is not only reducing the harm of tobacco consumption, but also moving beyond its traditional mission of providing pleasure, investing in new areas, such as medical devices.

    If the sector continues on its current trajectory—and if its initiatives are not stubbed out by counterproductive regulations and kneejerk hostility—the industry once associated with disease could one day become a net contributor to public health.

    While there admittedly is a long way to go for that vision to become reality, the first steps into a radically different future are being taken as you read these words. We believe the impact of these changes could be so profound that it justifies an entire issue.

    Read our April edition and marvel at the shape, pace and significance of this remarkable transformation.

    TR March 2022

    Tobacco Reporter’s March 2022 issue evaluates the fallout from South Africa’s ill-conceived ban on tobacco sales during the country’s 2020 Covid-19 lockdown. Eighteen months after the ban ended, illicit cigarettes still account for a whopping 60 percent of the domestic market. As South African Revenue Service Commissioner Edward Kieswetter predicted, the country continues to struggle with the corruption and illegal activities that took root in those four calamitous months.

    Meanwhile, halfway around the world, U.S. vape shops and tobacco outlets are facing a spike in robberies, which critics attribute at least in part to regulatory actions, such as tax increases, flavor bans and higher minimum age requirements. As Richard Marianos, a veteran of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, observes, crime is often an unintended and overlooked consequence of regulatory constraints on the marketplace.

    Cheryl Olson writes about the pitfalls the industry faces when discussing harm reduction; Stefanie Rossel examines the state of the filter market and George Gay reports on the latest developments in the ongoing battle against tobacco insect infestations.

    TR February 2022

    Tobacco Reporter’s February 2022 issue examines the latest developments relating to tipping paper, including technologies to differentiate products and solutions to ventilate tobacco smoke.

    Clive Bates tackles the twin evils of prohibition and illicit trade while Cheryl Olson discusses the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s emphasis on nicotine. Is such a focus appropriate for the protection of public health?

    Timothy Donahue profiles Turning Point Brands, which has ventured into new products by taking calculated risks.

    George Gay dissects the contrast between the small companies that stood at the cradle of the vapor revolution but are increasingly unable to comply with mounting regulatory requirements and the big heritage tobacco companies that joined the movement later but are more likely to survive due to their considerable resources.

    Stefanie Rossel highlights the pending legalization of recreational cannabis in Germany and what it might mean for the tobacco business.

    TR January 2022

    Tobacco Reporter’s January 2022 issue examines the lingering impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the global supply chain. Uneven economic recoveries, among other factors, have caused containers to pile up in places that don’t need them, while leaving exporters scrambling for vessels to ship their products. With fewer ships plying the high seas, transportation costs have skyrocketed, and freight forwarders are passing their expenses on to customers.

    Cheryl Olson and Willie McKinney write about the importance of understanding how regulators perceive your business. As it turns out, regulators views can be quite different from how nicotine companies perceive themselves.

    Simon Clark, director of the smokers’ rights group Forest, reminds us that many smokers enjoy smoking and have no wish to quit—a fact that is often overlooked as companies compete to “unsmoke” the world.  

    We also highlight a company that has been making extraordinary inroads in the heat-not-burn segment. With its “zero cleaning” consumables, Poda Holdings believes it has solved one of the main pain points in tobacco-heating technology.   

    Also in this issue: A report from the International Tobacco Growers Association’s recent “issues day,” and a look at Zimbabwe’s efforts to reverse tobacco curing-related deforestation.

    TR December 2021

    Tobacco Reporter’s December 2021 issue highlights synthetic nicotine, which has gained popularity among U.S. e-cigarette manufacturers as the Food and Drug Administration buried the vapor business in marketing denial orders. Is synthetic nicotine a legitimate alternative to the naturally derived variety, or does it represent a loophole? Cheryl Olson and Willie McKinney share their thoughts on the controversy.

    George Gay reflects on the recently concluded ninth Conference of the Parties to the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and Clive Bates describes the two camps in tobacco control—transformers and abolitionists.

    Also in this issue: a look at the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities, which helps evaluators describe the health effects of tobacco products in consistent terms, and a report on India’ notoriously harmful indigenous smokeless tobacco products.

    TR November 2021

    Tobacco Reporter’s November 2021 issue looks ahead at the ninth Conference of the Parties to the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (COP9), which takes place Nov. 8-13.

    The FCTC has attracted considerable criticism from tobacco harm reduction activists, who complain about a lack of transparency and mission creep. Instead of focusing on mortality reduction, as the treaty’s creators intended, the WHO is increasingly pursuing a counterproductive war on nicotine, according to commentators.

    We also reflect on another though-provoking Global Tobacco & Nicotine Forum. After last virtual forum, we were pleased to welcome delegates both in person and online this year.

    Also in this issue: The latest on the U.S. market as the Food and Drug Administration issues its first-ever marketing orders for an electronic nicotine delivery system and backtracks on some marketing denial orders; and a profile of Hall Analytical, which expects its nicotine business to increase significantly over the next five years.

    TR October 2021

    Tobacco Reporter’s October 2021 examines at the aftermath of Sept. 9, the day on which the Food and Drug Administration ordered the removal of hundreds of thousands electronic nicotine delivery systems from the U.S. market. What are the industry’s options in the wake of that development, and what about the bestselling products still under review?

    Cheryl Olsen highlights a landmark article by nicotine experts that provides a rare balanced look a vaping in the U.S. George Gay evaluates the outlook for tobacco machinery and reconstituted tobacco in a rapidly changing environment and Stefanie Rossel takes a look at the Philippines, which has courageously rejected attempts by well-funded special interested groups to influence its tobacco-control policies.

    Also in this issue: The trials and tribulations of the global paper industry, which has been wrestling with rapidly rising cost for raw materials, energy and transportation.

    TR September 2021

    In Tobacco Reporter’s September 2021 issue, Clive Bates explores sustainability, strategy and survival in the tobacco market as the industry prepares for the GTNF on Sept. 21-23. As it tuns out, there’s a lot more to sustainability than corporate social responsibility.

    BAT’s director of scientific research, David O’Reilly, explains why making tobacco harm reduction a reality is more important than ever, and Cheryl Olsen reveals what industry scientists wish they could say to physicians and public health researchers about their work.

    George Gay details the recent rebranding of Republic Brands and Stefanie Rossel takes the industry’s pulse as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration nears its deadline to decide on millions of tobacco marketing applications.

    Also in this issues: updates on the markets for tobacco machinery and filters.

    TR August 2021

    Tobacco Reporter’s August 2021 issue highlights Cas-CLOVER, a new genetic editing technology to help reduce nicotine levels in tobacco. If the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s proposal to mandate ‘minimally addictive’ levels of the stimulant in tobacco products comes to fruition, cigarette companies will have to radically redesign their products. Cas-Clover will be yet another tool available to help them in that process.

    Coresta Secretary General Stephane Colard offers suggestions how the tobacco industry can demonstrate its responsible approach to a skeptical audience, and Reynold’s executive vice president of research and development, James Murphy, discusses the challenges and opportunities for tobacco harm reduction.

    Also in this issue: The makeover of the venerable Rizla brand, which traces its history to Napoleonic times, and an update on the crusade against menthol cigarettes, which is showing no signs of letting up.

    TR July 2021

    Tobacco Reporter’s July 2021 issue examines the global leaf trade as it emerges from the Covid-19 crisis. Characterized by personal interactions and heavily dependent on logistics, the sector was hit hard by the pandemic.

    Yet, remarkably, the leaf market this year has emerged from the gates “sizzling hot,” in the words of one merchant.

    We highlight the results of a recent long-term, randomized, controlled trial of BAT’s glo tobacco-heating product, which lends credibility to the harm reduction potential of the entire category.

    Cheryl Olson and Willie McKinney offer advice on how to respond to FDA “deficiency letters,” and Barry Schaevitz of Fox Rothschild discusses the U.S. effort to regulate flavored cigars.

    Stefanie Rossel interviews ATD’s new CEO, Koen te Lintelo, about cigar machinery and George Gay details KT&G’s efforts to stay ahead of its rivals in both combustible cigarettes and tobacco-heating products.

    TR June 2021

    Tobacco Reporter’s June 2021 issue explores what might happen if Chinese regulators move forward with their proposal to regulate vapor products like tobacco.

    The domestic vapor industry’s meteoric rise has been driven by the visions of individual entrepreneurs and facilitated by the government’s comparatively light touch. The Chinese tobacco industry by contrast is characterized by officials fulfilling centrally set production targets. Unsurprisingly, investors are following the debate closely.

    Also in this issue, Stefanie Rossel reports from the debut In Focus: Harm Reduction virtual conference and George Gay speaks with representatives of Alliance One International. Despite stagnating cigarette volumes, the leaf merchant believes there is opportunity for suppliers who can offer tobacco produced in a sustainable manner.

    We also relate the remarkable story of Mayiwepi Jiti, who defied the odds to become a successful commercial tobacco grower in Zimbabwe’s male-dominated leaf industry.

    TR May 2021

    Tobacco Reporter’s May 2021 edition details efforts to improve the lot of female tobacco farmers in Malawi. Women do much of the work on the farm but remain disadvantaged in many respects. Giving women more prominent roles is not only socially desirable, it should also help boosts the overall economy, according to experts.

    Clive Bates presents a seven-point reform program for the World Health Organization and Cheryl Olsen explains how the tobacco companies’ past behavior continues to affect how regulators treat the industry today.

    George Gay speaks with Kingsley Wheaton about British American Tobacco’s efforts to build “A better tomorrow,” and we report on rebirth of the Uncommitted Tobacco Auction as an online marketplace.

    TR April 2021

    Tobacco Reporter’s April 2021 profiles the global tobacco logistics business: How has it fared amid the Covid-19-related disruptions?

    Timothy Donahue examines the opportunities for the vapor business in China. With some 300 million smokers, the country should be a prime market for e-cigarettes, but government plans to regulate vapor like tobacco have darkened the outlook.

    George Gay highlights a cherished but little-known tobacco—Latakia—and Stefanie Rossel spoke with the Brazilian tobacco association Sindifumo about efforts to keep rural youngsters out of the fields.

    TR March 2021

    In Tobacco Reporter’s March 2021 issue, Clive Bates examines the remarkable resistance to electronic nicotine delivery devices in the public health establishment. While e-cigarettes and tobacco-heating products arguably represent a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reduce the health toll of smoking, they continue to encounter vehement opposition. What is going on?

    Cheryl Olson and Willie McKinney share their insights into the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s final rule on premarket tobacco product applications and George Gay draws parallels between the fight against illicit vapor products and that against illegal tobacco products. Can society avoid repeating past mistakes?

    Stefanie Rossel relates how tobacco farmers in Colombia coped after two major customers pulled out of the country. Does their experience hold lessons for growers in other markets who face slumping demand for leaf?

    TR February 2021

    In its February 2021 issue, Tobacco Reporter highlights the industry’s efforts to eradicate child labor, taking Indonesia as a case study to illustrate the challenges and opportunities in this fight.

    Beth Oliva and Philip Langer of Roth Foxschild evaluate the progress that has been made since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced its comprehensive plan for tobacco and nicotine regulation in 2017.

    Renowned public health researcher Cheryl Olsen sheds light on one what is arguably the most confusing part of a U.S. tobacco marketing application—the perception and intention study.

    Also in this issue: An exclusive interview with the director of the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, Derek Yach.

    TR January 2021

    Tobacco Reporter’s January 2021 issue examines the plight of tobacco farmers in the Covid-19 crisis. How are they coping with the double whammy of a pandemic and declining demand for their products?

    TMA President and CEO Chris Greer evaluates the outlook for the nicotine business in the wake of the recent U.S. elections and George Gay highlights efforts to make the harvesting and processing of oriental leaf tobacco more efficient.

    Stefanie Rossels digs into the conflict of interest that arises when governments that have stakes in the tobacco industry sign on to a global treaty designed to reduce smoking.

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